Love Me Till The End
by Ever The Escapist
Summary: She is different from the others. Unlike them, she can remember stuff. Every single day, she is able to remember more and more, slowly putting pieces together while trying to find the way out of the Maze. There are only two things in her way - the rules and those who are trying to enforce them. Because in the eyes of most of the Gladers - she is nothing but a troublemaker.
1. Remember Me?

**LOVE ME TILL THE END**

Sooo... Here's a thing. I read the first book and saw the movies. I must say that they are (as always) very different, sometimes even in major facts. This would be sort of combination of both - please don't kill me.

Ahem, ahem.

Anyway, I will appreciate if you will let me know what you think.

So there it is.

P.S.: Newt in this story is Thomas Brodie-Sangster because… well, do I really need to explain why? :)

 **Warning: Story is being gradually modified from the first chapter!**

 **Summary:** She is different from the others. First of all, she is a girl and unlike them, she can remember a few more things. Every day she is able to remember more and more, slowly putting pieces together she is trying to find the way out of the Maze. There are only two things in her way - the rules and those who are trying to enforce them. Because in the eyes of most of the Gladers - she is nothing but a troublemaker.

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **Remember Me?**

* * *

She was absolutely sure that her head was going to explode. The memories in her mind were breaking like fragile porcelain pieces - every time she reached out to some of them, they crumbled right between her fingers. She saw parts of the face, eyes, lips, hands, heard individual words, but never full sentences. There was something very important… something she had to remember, something she had to know… but it was gone. She was rising up in the metal elevator for what seemed like an eternity, a loud siren screaming into her ears. And suddenly, it stopped.

Silence. In the lift and in her head.

All those bits and pieces of memories were gone, blown away by the wind, leaving only a few strange images. One of them was a girl. Long black hair, dark blue eyes, pale skin. _That's me,_ she realized. _I am… Moon. That's my name._

She was never so confused in her life. At least for what she knew…

The blinking lights went out leaving her in a dense darkness. Moon only now realized how raggedly she was breathing. Her heart pounded loudly in her head; her knees buckled and she landed on the floor with a jolt. Some parts of her body hurt a lot - her wrists especially. She felt badly bruised all over.

Suddenly, a light appeared. The lid of her dark prison lifted and sharp rays of the sun hit her hard and mercilessly. Moon raised her hand to cover her eyes. She heard upset voices, but couldn't understand what they were saying, for some time she heard nothing but the beating of her own heart. She saw shapes of figures, but she couldn't focus on them.

The floor of her cage shook, and her entire body stiffened as she sensed someone's presence. Her body moved automatically to the wall - moving away from the stranger. Ice cold fear embraced her heart though she didn't really know why.

"Relax," said an unknown, silky voice with a strange warmth to it. "You're okay… Trust me, no one's going to hurt ya," he added with a strong British accent.

Moon still couldn't see his face; she kept one hand over her eyes, the whispering over her head began again, yet she was only able to catch two of the sentences.

"That's a shucking girl!" a raw, male voice exclaimed.

"Well, duh! You are a fast one, aren't you, shank?" someone else drawled out, their tone very nasal.

Moon ignored all of their strange words; they only confused her more. Her attention was with the stranger in front of her.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice a little shaky and hollow, no doubt from not using it in a while.

He took a step to the right and covered the sun with his body. Everything suddenly came into focus. The boy in front of her was tall and slender, wearing a plain white T-shirt and short brown trousers, his hands still half raised in a reassuring gesture. Moon raised her eyes to his face and then took a sharp breath. She had seen this face before, she knew she had. Fine features, dark warm eyes, tousled blond hair.

"I'm Newt," the boy said with a kind smile.

She knew him. Definitely. She didn't remember from where, but she had seen him before. Why couldn't she just…

"I can't remember…" she exhaled heavily, starting to fall into panic. _What the hell is going on?_

"That's normal. None of us remember anything," the boy - Newt reassured her quickly. "Within a few days, you'll remember your name. That's about the only thing they let us have…"

They. Moon saw a face in her mind, a pale woman with slick blond hair. _**Wicked is good.**_ The phrase came into her head from nowhere, spoken by the woman's lips. Sweet tone, except Moon knew that she was lying... Finally, she could see others who gathered above the cage. They were, strangely, all boys.

"So...? How about we go up now and you can look around a little?" Newt asked carefully.

Moon lifted her eyes to him. He looked pretty damn familiar…

But it was as if her mind was covered with thick heavy fog and she couldn't see anything through it. She hesitatingly stood up and he nodded cheerfully. Without much effort, he swung out of the cage and then turned back to her.

"Alright, back to work everyone! Show's over, ya shuck-faces!" ordered a tall, muscular black boy and the others instantly obeyed him.

Newt and the boy both bent down, holding out a hand each to her. Moon accepted them after a moment of brief hesitation and she was pulled up in a second.

Sun, grass, trees and four high walls. Moon looked around, her blue eyes wide open. It was like looking at a very old photo from a different angle. A very strong and also very uncomfortable deja vu.

"Welcome to the Glade," said the second boy, sounding a little like it was an obligatory line that he'd said hundreds of times but didn't really mean. "I'm Alby."

Moon ignored him completely. Her eyes were focused on the opened gate, about two hundred meters away. There were doors. And they led into something else, something dangerous - that she was certain. _A maze._

The thought popped into her head just like the image of the woman had before, leaving her with no idea where the idea or certainty that accompanied it had come from. It was as if she could see this whole place from above - the square prison inside of a giant maze. Her legs moved forward, somehow automatically.

"Hey!" She didn't realize there was someone else until stranger's hand vigorously and harshly gripped her elbow. "Where do you think you're going, Greenie?"

"I want to see," Moon replied, not even sparing a look for the third boy.

"Oh, hell no! Are you… what the hell?"

Moon finally turned to him. He was tall and muscular as well, with cold gray eyes. He was holding her hand in front of his face, frowning at a dark bruise around her wrist. Newt and Alby stood next to him, wearing very similar expressions. The blond boy reached for her other hand, and Moon knew without looking, by the ache, that there would be identical bruises. They looked very much like fingerprints.

Moon wrenched from their grasp, pulling her right hand close to her face, examining the bruise herself. She remembered the fingers, cold and clutching. But she saw no face...

"Are you hurt?" Newt asked, the sign of concern in his voice.

 _Where should I even start?_

Moon took a step back, running her hand through her hair.

"My head hurts like hell..." she sighed, looking around. None of this made any sense to her.

Three boys exchanged a glance.

"That's not ordinary," Alby said, sounding uneasy.

"None of this is bloody ordinary, Alby!" snapped Newt. "We don't usually get girls here! No offense," he added quickly.

"Maybe she just hit herself in the Box?" wondered the third guy, whatever his name was. "But what about those fingerprints?"

"I'm still here," Moon informed them because it seemed as if her presence had been completely forgotten. "Can I have a look outside now?"

"No!" came the unanimous answer.

Moon frowned. Why did she even ask? No questions equal no rejections. She turned on her heel and headed straight to the gate.

"Hey! Are you deaf?!" the guy without a name yelled.

"Let me handle this, okay?" Newt's voice. "I'll try to calm her down a little..."

"You sure?" Alby.

"That girl would need a shucking chain, that's for sure…" Guy #3 again.

Moon was almost oblivious to their words. She was approaching the gate, her eyes fixed on the exit.

 _Way out… Way out, way out, way out!_

"Slow down a little bit," Newt advised her, catching her up in about two seconds.

"I want to know what is going on…" Moon retorted, keeping her eyes on the gate. _More like need to now._

"I understand," the boy stepped in her way. "I went through it. We all did... But trust me when I tell you that it takes some time to be ready to process it all."

Moon bit her lip and stopped. Part of her knew he was right. Her head was on fire, she felt exhausted and battered, and her heart was still beating faster than it should. But the other part wasn't going to just let it go. She was too frustrated and craving for answers…

"We're trapped here, aren't we?" she looked straight into his eyes. As the sun was setting down, they seemed completely black.

He gave her a rueful smile.

"Listen now…"

"How long have you been here? Who sent us here? Who are they? Why anybody doesn't do anything!?"

"You are not ready to hear the answers."

"I am perfectly ready!"

"No, you're not. You were shaking like a bloody leaf five minutes ago, for God's sake!"

She examined him. He looked tense, as if expecting her try to make a run for it every moment. Yet he kept his distance, giving her personal space. He was very cautious… and she knew him. She. Definitely. Knew. Him. _Geez!_ That feeling was making her crazy…

"My name is Moon," she said softly, her eyes searching his for some sign of awareness. Nothing. Only surprise. He didn't feel the same. "You said that none of you can remember anything, just a name..."

"Yes, that's quite right," Newt let out blankly.

"I remember more."

His eyes widened. His legs involuntarily moved him closer and Moon was so puzzled by his sudden closeness that she took a quick step back. When he realized it, he stopped.

"What do you remember?" he asked, obviously trying to keep his voice calm.

"Faces," Moon replied. "Faces, syringes and water... Lots of water. Everything is so blurry... I remember the hands that gripped me. I remember someone shouting my name..."

She shook her head as she tried to settle her thoughts.

"Whatever's been done to you, it hasn't worked with me. Not completely…"

She had no idea why she said that, those words just came out for no reason at all. When she looked up, she saw Newt watching her. His gaze was intense and unreadable.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, not sure what to make of his staring.

"I've been here for three years," he said, his voice serious. "And nothing like this has ever happened before."

"They could have made a mistake," Moon was thinking out loud. _Who the hell are 'they', anyway? That blond woman… is she one of them?_ "Or maybe it's a trick. Maybe-" she was cut of by something what felt like a sharp blade running through her forehead. The pain was so unbelievable, she grabbed her head and tightly closed her eyes.

"Okay, that's enough for now," Newt decided, his voice uncompromising. He gently squeezed her wrist, careful not to touch her bruise, and began to drag her back to the middle of the Glade.

"B-but... I want to have a look!" Moon was protesting weakly.

Newt shook his head without even looking at her.

"No. Not today. You're exhausted and you are not thinking clearly. You'll get your chance tomorrow."

She probably would have argued, if it wasn't for the pain in her head. She let him lead her quietly for a while, until it eased a little.

"Where are you taking me?"

He slowed down a bit and pointed at a wooden building, which stood in a corner of the Glade. It was quite big and kind of impressive, given the fact that it looked homemade.

"To the Homestead. It's starting to get late…"

Moon's eyes strayed to a crowd of boys not far from them. They were looking at her, every single one of them and she couldn't help herself but tense up. Newt noticed it almost immediately. He stopped and turned his face to her.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, furrowing his brows.

Moon hesitated for a second.

"Am I the only girl here?"

It was more a statement than a question. She already knew the answer. Newt nodded, carefully studying her face. Moon started to feel very uneasy… and his warm fingers were still lightly holding her wrist.

"Do you trust me?" he suddenly asked.

The black haired girl looked up at him. Maybe she has seen his face before… But that wasn't enough.

"No."

Newt let go of her hand, and she backed away, her back leaning against the Wall. The boy cleared his throat, avoiding her gaze.

"Well… I can call Alby, if you'd like."

"I don't trust him either," Moon said quietly. "I don't trust any of you. How could I?"

Newt turned his dark eyes to her.

"You'll have to."

She chuckled mirthlessly, raising her eyes to the sky. She was trapped between four walls... and for a company, she had a load of hormonal boys.

"Listen now, I know that you don't feel very safe right now," Newt spoke up to her softly. "But it'll get better, trust me. Once you get to know us better, you'll see that we don't bite."

She looked into his eyes, corner of her lips slightly lifted.

 _This situation is absolutely crazy..._

"Alright," Newt gave her a half-smile, shoulders relaxing. "You won't stay alone tonight. You can choose whoever you will be most-"

"You," she cut him off in mid-sentence.

"Oh," he blinked, looking surprised. "Let's go then."

It happened just then. Moon froze when she heard a terrible sound, like a whole planet had started to shake.

"What is that?!" A thrill of fear ran down her spine.

The blond boy turned to her, his eyes darkening.

"It's the Gate. It closes every night."

The building was surprisingly well built. It didn't have a much furniture or was very warm, but it was better than sleeping outside for sure. In addition, it seemed that they were able to even create cubicles, so there were plenty of rooms.

Newt led her to one, which was almost entirely at the end of the corridor. When he opened the door, all she saw was a small window, a wooden chest, and a hammock hung in a corner of the room.

"You can lie down in there," Newt pointed at it. "I'll just bring another one from the warehouse."

He was halfway out of the door when Moon spoke up:

"Can I just lie on the floor?" she asked, a little uncertainly. She sort of felt like having a firm ground beneath her tonight.

Newt's eyes narrowed slightly.

"It's quite cold at night and the most chill is coming from the ground, so-"

"I'll be fine, really," she interrupted him.

"You could-"

"Please."

The blond boy didn't look like he thought it was a good idea, but he reached into the chest to pull out two blankets and some things that resembled pillows in the loosest definition of the term. Moon carefully prepared a place to sleep quite near the hammock, and without much hesitation, she lay down. Newt watched her for a moment and then jumped into a hammock next to her. The black haired girl pulled the blanket closer to the body and sighed. Part of her still believed that this was just a weird dream and she was going to wake up very soon.

"Everything will be better tomorrow... You'll see," Newt whispered encouragingly.

Moon doubted that, falling asleep almost immediately.

* * *

 **So what do you think?**

 **Let me know and hopefully see you later! :)**


	2. Never Give Up

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.**

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **Never Give Up**

* * *

 _ **She got so far this time. It was within her reach, so close...Then he came from behind the corner like a shadow, his fingers clutching her wrist tightly. It didn't matter; she surpassed the cold fear quickly. She was fighting, pushing, kicking, scratching. She wasn't going to give in, not now! Not after all she's been through!**_

 _ **"I'm not going to give up, Janson," she told him darkly.**_

 _ **A narrow face of a man emerged from a blurred darkness, thin lips twisted into a malicious smile, pale piercing green eyes full of pure evil that seemed to be able to see right through her.**_

 _ **"I never expected you to."**_

Moon sat up, taking a sharp breath. She was looking directly at a timber wall, confused to the core.

 _Where the hell am I?_

The answer came quickly when she heard a noise and turned her head blearily. The blond boy had just jumped off his hammock.

"Rise and shine, Greenie!" he said merrily.

"Dear Lord, I'm still here..." the black haired girl moaned, rubbing her eyes as she could rub the image of that dark haired man from her head.

"Yep," Newt nodded. "What a delightful moment. The start of the day number two." His voice was laden with dry sarcasm.

After Moon put herself together, Newt showed her all the important places in the Homestead, such as the bathroom. He gave her new clothes, which were meant for boys, so they were a little baggy for her, but better than nothing. Moon was surprised that the building was deserted, but Newt explained that Gladers began work very early in the morning. It looked like the sun had just come out, so Moon shook her head in amazement. _It's like a military camp,_ she thought.

When they came out of the house, Newt started to walk directly to the boy in the distance she later identified as Alby. In that way, they passed a couple of boys and every one of them raised his head to them.

"Have they never seen a girl before?" Moon murmured under her breath, shifting uncomfortably.

"As a matter of fact, they haven't," Newt chuckled. "Relax, it's gonna pass eventually. Or maybe not."

"I feel much better now, thank you," she replied sarcastically.

"At your service," Newt smirked.

"Morning, Greenie," the great leader Alby greeted her. At least Moon assumed he was, given how he was bossing everybody around. "How was your first night?"

"Charming," Moon said, evidently not done with sarcasm just yet. Her head didn't hurt anymore, but her bruises started to itch and her curiosity was quickly reaching an unbearable height. "Can I have a look at the Gate now?"

Alby frowned, rolling his gaze to his friend.

"She is really a piece of work, isn't she?"

Newt just sighed and Moon folded her arms. She didn't like their attitude towards her, it was somewhat… aloof. They acted as if they got her and now had to take care of her. She was starting to feel even more claustrophobic because of it.

"You should know that after your arrival I set certain rules," Alby told her as if he was doing her a big favor. "If someone of those shanks would harass you, just point your finger and I will kick him straight off the Cliff," he added gracefully.

Moon raised her eyebrows.

"You have a cliff here?" Then she started to studying the Glade. Perhaps in the woods somewhere?

Newt chuckled.

"Yeah, peachy. I need to talk to you, Alby," he said, then turned to the black haired girl. "Wait here, okay?" He pointed to one of the stumps.

Moon felt a bit like a dog; she sat down on the spot, which he showed her, frowning after the boys in consternation as they walked away. _Sure. Let's pretend that you're not going to talk about me._

She snorted for herself.

"It sucks, doesn't it? Being a Greenie here?" said a voice beside her.

Moon turned her head only to see a chubby young curly-haired boy, carrying something that looked like a pile of dirty laundry. He couldn't have been older than twelve years old.

"It sucks to be here in general," she said wearily. "Who are you?"

"Chuck," the boy said proudly. "I was the greenest before you showed up here. Now I'm only the youngest... "

"And that's why you're the one who gets to do the laundry? That's rude," she frowned.

"Oh, yeah. And other stuff. I'm a Slopper, it's just how it goes. If you don't prove yourself in any of the normal works, you get to do all the menial things."

Hm. It seemed a certain hierarchy worked here. Everyone was probably forced to do their part. It made sense... if you have planned to stay for a longer period of time. But this wasn't a vacation, this was supposed to be a starting-line. If they haven't stood in her way - Moon would have run into the labyrinth a long ago, but they… were settling here?! Why weren't they seeking a way out? She was broken out of her thoughts abruptly as she realized Chuck was watching her intensively.

"Stop staring at me, kid."

"Sorry. But you're the first girl… you know," he shuffled his feet.

Moon felt slightly sorry for the child, alone in a vast field of boys older than himself. But well, at least he wasn't a girl.

"I've never seen a male washerwoman before and am I staring at you?"

"Move your sorry butt, Chuck. No shirking," Newt told him when he came back, his hand resting on his hip.

"Sure thing, boss," chuckled the curly-haired boy and disappeared.

Moon turned to the older guy.

"So? Have you finished your little gossip session?" Moon asked, somewhat venomously. She actually felt a little betrayed. Alright, maybe he had to tell Alby everything - he was apparently the big leader here - but he could have at least asked her. And that he did it without her was making it even worse.

Newt didn't look one bit guilty.

"I have no secrets from Alby. He's our leader."

"Your leader," she corrected him.

Newt gave her a knowing look.

"I've been through it, trust me. But by the end of the week, you will accept everything. It will be easier for you… More bearable."

Accept? Moon wasn't going to accept anything...

She was so frustrated right now.

"We'll see about that," she mumbled quietly.

"Okay…" Newt sounded unconvinced. "Anyway, we have decided not to say the other Gladers for now. You know, about your memories…"

Moon blinked in surprise.

"Why?"

"Well, usually they don't respond very well to the unexpected things. Some of them are even angry at you for showing up here at all. They're not used to change after the same routine, every day, for three years."

"My heart bleeds for them," Moon said sarcastically. _Wait… What?! Three years? They've been here three years?! I am leaving right now!_ "So? Can I see now? You promised me yesterday."

"Well, technically I didn't- Hey! Wait!"

Moon didn't stop. Newt caught up with her quite easily, and that was when she first noticed his limb. She didn't want to ask, so she let it go. Actually, she didn't want to do anything else, then finally look outside. _And get the hell out of here._

There it was. After so many hours, she finally stood in front of the Gate into the Maze. It was huge, enormous, leading to a long corridor covered with ivy. The stones inside looked old, as if they had been there for thousands of years. It seemed so mysterious, dark and dangerous... A sudden wind blew through the labyrinth and ruffled her hair. Her fingers were almost vibrating with excitement.

This was the way out!

Newt was measuring her with a frown on his face the whole time.

"Don't get too carried away, girl. We have a rule - no one sets a foot inside, except for Runners."

"I want to be a Runner," the black haired girl said back immediately.

"What?!" The boy's dark eyes widened. "Hang on - you don't even know what that is!"

Moon kept her eyes fixed on the Gate.

"I don't care. I just want to go inside."

"You are crazy then," said a voice behind her. Moon turned to the muscular guy who grabbed her by the elbow yesterday. "Or stupid as shuck. There is a reason why we aren't going in there, don't you get it?"

"Actually, I do," she said. She could feel it in every cell of her body; the Maze was dangerous. That had to be crystal clear for anyone who got close enough. "But it doesn't really matter... Can't you see it my way? I woke up in the cage and there are open doors! Of course I want to go inside, no matter what!" She wasn't sure why but she wanted them to understand so badly.

Newt looked at her, frowning deeply.

"You are quite different then most newbies, I'll give ya that…"

"What are they usually like?"

"Disoriented, lost, confused. Crying in a corner for days."

Moon shrugged. She was frustrated to no end, but for some reason, she wasn't losing hope. Not yet. As if everything had a reason… And she was getting out of here. At any cost.

"It's perfectly simple, boys," she said nonchalantly, pointing to the Maze. "This is a way out."

She took a step forward, but she couldn't take a second one. Newt apparently lost his patience because he rapidly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She hissed painfully when he touched her bruises, but he didn't seem to care at that moment. His bright eyes darkened; his easy-going smile was gone.

"It's bloody dangerous out there!" he snarled at her, standing between her and the Gate. "We've been here for years, that's not a way out - that's just a vicious mockery! Don't you ever do that, don't act as if it was just a game and we didn't know how to play it! We lost in that bloody Maze dozens of friends... And with this attitude, you're just the next in line."

Moon met his intense gaze. His eyes reflected years of suffering and helplessness. Hard to believe that she could piss him off so easily. The expression of the other boy told her that this wasn't very common for him and Moon didn't care in that moment.

"I'm willing to risk it," she said flatly.

Newt snorted, letting go of her hand, shaking his head.

"I can't bloody believe you…"

"Told you she's not right in the head…" the muscular guy said.

"Shut up, Gally," the blond boy hissed at him, annoyed.

Moon rolled her eyes. She didn't have time for arguing. Her eyes were fixed on the Maze again. If she ran, a skinny English guy with a bad leg surely wouldn't be able to outrun her. About that macho-man, he wouldn't dare to venture beyond the Walls and break his own rules, would he? So, she could just-

Newt stepped into her point of view again, black eyes full of anger.

"You are not allowed to go in there."

 _Is he reading my mind or something?_

"I'm not allowed?" Moon raised her eyebrows. "Who forbids it?"

"That would be me," he said calmly, and then grabbed her wrist again.

This time, Moon began to fight against his grip immediately. Something about this whole thing reminded her of today's dream and she started to feel quite uncomfortable with this memory in her head.

"Who do you think you are, giving me orders? You have no right- "

"Go ahead," Newt said coldly, eyes full of unfamiliar ice. "Keep going like this and you will spend the rest of the day in the Pit. It wouldn't be the first time we stuck a Greenie there to cool off his head."

Moon wavered, ceasing to struggle.

"What is the Pit?"

"I bet you are gonna find out within this week, Greenie…" Gally sneered, but when he met Newt's furious gaze, he turned and left.

The blond boy waited until he was out of earshot.

Then he turned back to her.

"Done for now?"

Moon stared at him defiantly.

"Not in the least, no."

"Good that," Newt said and began to pull her away from the Gate with far more force than she would have guessed he possessed.

"Hey!"

"Don't be so bloody difficult," he murmured, annoyed.

Newt didn't release her until they were in front of something what looked like a homemade tower. Significantly, he pushed her to the ladder.

"Move it," he prodded her.

Moon frowned.

"You first."

"Nah. Ladies first," Newt drawled out.

She examined the tower doubtfully.

"It doesn't look very steady, though…"

"Should I drag you up there in my teeth, bloody woman?!"

Moon chuckled at that thought, but given just how upset Newt currently looked, she started to climb. The tower was sturdier than it looked. It didn't even shake beneath her feet. She leaned against the railing, her eyes fixed on the Gate once again. She had a good view from here. Was this a watching tower?

"Why are we here?" she asked after a moment.

"We're here," Newt started meaningfully. "because I'm not letting Alby give you the tour. After your first rebellious remark, he would have kicked you off the Cliff."

Moon turned to him.

"Sorry, that was supposed to scare me?"

The blond boy's eyes narrowed.

"Don't push your luck, Moon. This is your second day and I get it, but my patience has its limits. You have to learn to obey orders."

"I probably won't be very good at that," she said, this time with a softer tone.

"No shit," Newt grinned without the smallest hint of humor. "The thing is, I don't bloody care, Greenie. The rules are same for everyone, and all those years a certain order works here. You break the rules, you get punished. That's it."

 _Order…_ Moon wanted to snort. _So they have built up some kind of system._ She didn't understand it. She was here for two days and started to freak out just from the thought that she was trapped in an unfamiliar place, where she had been sent by people who nearly had erased all of her memories. And they were undoubtedly watching them right now. How was it that someone could endure three years of that? She felt freer in the Box…

"Good that," Newt said, breaking her thoughts and the momentary silence. "So... Could you look away from that bloody Maze for a moment?!"

Moon sighed and turning her face to him.

"Now when I've gained your revered attention, I'll tell you something about our order."

"Can't wait," the sarcastic remark slipped through her lips.

Newt seemed to be seriously considering pushing her down off the tower for a moment.

"Sorry."

He didn't respond to that.

"We have three basic rules. You already know the first one - never go beyond those Walls. Never. Secondly - everyone is involved, everybody does his - or her - part. Third - never harm another Glader; none of this would work if we didn't have a trust. Do you understand?"

"I do."

"The key one for you is the first rule," add Newt.

Moon frowned.

"So you will seriously stand in my way to run away from here?" she asked. "That's just ridiculous…"

"Yeah, we will stand in your way to commit suicide," Newt replied with a roll of his eyes.

"It can't be so bad if the Runners can go in," Moon pointed out.

"They are a completely different league. They know the Maze. They're the brightest, fastest and strongest of us. And - no offense - but you're not exactly displaying signs of great physical or intellectual strength so far."

Moon stared at him, mouth open in shock.

"Did you really just say that I can't go into the Maze because I'm stupid and small?"

"I suppose, yeah."

"You gonna regret that." That was a promise.

Newt looked anything but frightened.

"Whatever, shorty. The truth is that you're not going in there. Period."

Moon was frowning deeply. He was so freaking over it!

"Tell me, have you ever been in the Maze?"

He winced. A certain emotion ran through his gentle face, but she didn't manage to identify it.

"I have," was the blunt answer.

"Then tell me…" Moon leaned towards him. "What's so terrible in there?"

His eyes narrowed, he folded his arms.

"Except moving walls, darkness and the horrible pressure you feel every single second? The Grievers."

"What are the Grievers?" _Why does everything have to have a name I don't understand?_

"Trust me, you don't want to know."

"You're a real chatterbox," she sighed. "Guess I'll have to find out on my own."

His eyes darkened again. "Not gonna let ya."

"Why the hell not?" Moon snapped. "I understand you've been here for a long time, so let me explain something to you. That someone sends you something in a box doesn't mean it's yours! You don't have any obligation, stop acting like you have some damn responsibility for me!"

"Sure we have! But someone like you could never understand that. You're here for two days and already think you know everything? Don't be so bloody stupid…" Newt just tiredly shook his head.

When she saw the look in his eyes, she knew that this would get her nowhere. He treated her like a child and as such he also considered her. Only a confused kid who didn't understand anything. The more she pushed, the more it would be convincing him in his affirmation and the more she would be under observation. More people would stand in her way…Newt, Alby, Gally... whoever they'd tell about her, if they got suspicious of her… and if they were really that strict about rules, it would be pretty hard to get around them, if she was to be constantly watched like a time bomb.

It was time to turn around.

Moon sat in the corner of the tower, pulling her knees to her body, lowering her eyes.

"I just ... I want to get out of here," she whispered.

Newt watched her from above a while before answering.

"I know. We all do."

His pure voice didn't tell her if he believed in her sudden change of attitude or not. From what she knew about him so far he was very careful, but also sensitive. It shouldn't be too difficult to get around him…

"Okay," he said with a softer tone. "For now, this lecture is over. It's time to go to Frypan for breakfast."

"I'm not hungry."

"But I am. So hurry up, Greenie."

Moon watched him slowly climbing down the ladder and she turned to the Maze one more time. _I'm not going to give up,_ she promised for the second time that day.

* * *

 **So, two chapters behind us! I really hope you liked it. :)**

 **Thanks to those who favorited, followed or reviewed - it means a lot to me.**

 **I should probably say that Gally in my story is the Gally from the movies - he seemed more reasonable and real that way, he's still a jerk but you can sort of understand him. :D**

 **Alright, see you later! :)**


	3. The Plan

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.**

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **The Plan**

* * *

There were many jobs one could perform in the Glade and Newt told her about all of them - well, almost all of them. He deliberately missed the Runners, which made Moon even more irritated, but in the interest of her new plan, she didn't let it show on her, obediently following Newt into the Kitchen. The place was completely deserted in the late morning - except for the cook. Frypan was a tall boy with a dark skin and distinctive sense of humor. He sat down with them and entertained them almost the entire breakfast.

"Hey, ya shank, don't you have potatoes to scrap or something?" Newt asked after Frypan told them another of his homemade jokes. Because they always contained a lot of slang words that Moon still didn't exactly know, she could hardly understand the point. But with the tone of his voice and his expression, it was still hilarious.

After Newt's rude remark, Frypan went back to the kitchen with a sigh and the black haired girl looked at the tousled boy quizzically.

"Has nobody ever told you that you should be nice to people who prepare your food?" _That's just common sense, buddy._

"If I didn't stop him, he would blabber all day," Newt shrugged it off.

"Buzzkill," Moon marked him, putting a fork with scrambled eggs in her mouth. "I've changed my mind, you know? I want another roommate."

Her provocation didn't wave Newt a bit.

"You made your choice, now live with it."

Slowly, he sipped his tea and Moon knew it wouldn't be long before he broke the silence again. She could tell by the look on his face - very pensive and sort of curious.

"So," Newt started casually, watching the kitchen door. "Have you remembered anything else?"

The black haired girl looked at him, her lips stretching into a sneaky smile. When he noticed that, he frowned in puzzlement.

"What?"

"That's the real reason why you sent Frypan away, isn't it?" she chuckled. "You're so obvious."

"Not at all, I-"

"I wonder, is Frypan one of those who would freak out, if they found out that I have some memories?" she interrupted him carelessly.

Newt tiredly sighed.

"Can't you just-"

"Frypan!" the girl called loudly.

Newt stiffened and frowned, his dark eyes beginning to cool. Only God knew why it was so incredibly strange for her to see him angry.

"I can see you're really working your ass off to follow orders," he noted bitterly.

Moon grinned at him and the cook appeared on the threshold.

"What is it, honey?"

"I just wanted to say that those eggs are delicious. Seriously!"

Frypan bowed with a bright smile.

"Whenever!" And he was gone.

Newt's frowning didn't stop; he glared at her with his brows furrowed. Moon nudged her elbow into his side.

"Relax a bit - it was just a joke. Geez, you should have seen yourself."

"You like to provoke people, huh?" the blond boy said and took a sip of his tea again.

Moon didn't answer. Frankly, she had no idea from where this compulsion to rebel against everything came from. Maybe it was just a defense mechanism. They sent her to jail, played with her head and she had no idea what for. On the top of all, there was a gang of boys who wanted to control her every move and that seemed quite contrary to her temperament.

"Will you answer my bloody question, or what?" Newt spoke up again, impatient.

"Of course, Mr. Newt, since you're asking so nicely," Moon honeyed sarcastically.

He sighed again and Moon noticed her was doing that a lot in her presence. She wondered why.

"Could you please tell me?"

"Will you tell Alby?" Moon retorted immediately.

"Do you remember anything that I'm not supposed to tell Alby?" Newt raised an eyebrow.

Moon's eyes narrowed. Actually, she didn't know why she had such a problem with the fact that Alby knew. Maybe because they were her memories, the only personal thing she had left, and he was a complete stranger. But in this case... why she didn't mind to tell Newt? Oh, yeah… it was because she felt like she knew him. It was… more easy that way.

"I had a dream. But it wasn't just a dream, it was a memory..."

Newt nodded as if he understood, his eyes fixed upon her intently.

"What was it about?"

"I was running," Moon said with a meek voice. "In a long metal corridor. I knew exactly where to run and I wanted to make it there so much. I needed it. I don't know where and I don't know why, but it seemed to me as if I was trying to get there for a long time... And then he appeared out of nowhere."

The blond boy didn't even blink, totally focused on her story.

"He?"

"This… man. Tall, dark hair, narrow light green eyes, and a terrible smile, really."

"Who is he?"

"How the hell should I know?" Moon frowned. "He caught me. We fought and he laughed. As if it was all just a game... I called him Janson, ringing any bells?"

Newt just shook his head.

"And then?"

"Then nothing."

"Well," Newt cleared his throat, the corner of his lips lifted up in order to ease up the atmosphere a bit. "Looks like you weren't playing well with the Creators either."

"Yeah, what are the odds?" Moon scoffed.

When she raised her head towards him, his dark eyes were fixed on her and she could see it. She could see the confusion, the puzzlement, she could see how much he really didn't understand why was she so different and what the hell was going on with her. But honestly, nobody wanted to know it more than Moon.

xXxXx

 _ **She almost couldn't breathe. Fear flowed through her veins in the form of a cold liquid, clogging up her body. She watched the screen; there were dozens of faces. Young faces. There were no names, only numbers. And beneath each photo was a proclamation in red letters, the same thing each time.**_

 **The experiment failed.**

 _ **"Wicked is good, Moon," said a cold voice right beside her ear. She froze, unable to move. The screen went black and in its reflection, she could see a thin face of a pale, blonde woman.**_

 _ **"I don't believe you," she let out, trying to keep her voice from shaking. But the fear was strong. The woman put her cool hand on her shoulder; the touch itself felt like a hot lead.**_

 _ **"Not now… but you will." Her words sounded like a threat. "Take her back."**_

 _ **"No!" Foreign hands grabbed her and dragged her into the darkness. "Don't!"**_

"Moon…"

Her eyes snapped open and her head was just about to explode. A few seconds passed before she was able to catch her breath and her eyes adjusted the darkness enough for her to be able to comprehend what had happened.

 _I'm in the Glade. This was a dream. No scratch that, it was a memory… And someone woke me up. Him._

Newt was leaning over her, his eyes carefully examining her face. Moon realized at that moment that she hasn't told him how much he looked familiar to her. She hasn't told him that she knew him. Why hadn't she just told him? She should have.

"You're alright," he said in his deep voice. "You're safe."

"Stop lying," was her cynical reaction.

She wasn't safe. She was anything but safe.

He said nothing. His eyes lowered a little and Moon realized that she was crushing his hand with both of hers. Before she got her fingers to loose, she plunged into darkness once more.

xXxXx

When she woke up, the first thing she saw was his hand. Strictly speaking, she saw her fingers wrapped around his wrist. Newt slept on the floor beside her, breathing quietly as if nothing had happened. As if everything was just fine, except nothing was fine and everything was insane.

Moon studied his face for some time. High cheekbones, long lashes... he wasn **'** t frowning for a change and looked very calm this way. And suddenly, a single thought popped out in her mind.

 _Is the Gate already open?_

She was almost ashamed that she saw his very peaceful unconsciousness as an opportunity. Almost.

Very gently she let go of his hand, carefully watching his face. His eyelids didn't tremble, his breath didn't noose. Moon cautiously stood up, turning to the door. One silent step. Second. Third. Her hand gently squeezed the handle...

"Where are you going?"

Moon winced when she heard that clear voice. When she turned, Newt was watching her from the floor in the very same position she had left him.

 _Had he ever really been asleep?_

"To the bathroom," she lied quickly.

"I wouldn't if I were you," the boy drawled out, turning on his back. "At this hour it will be full of showering dudes… We kinda haven't solved this 'situation' yet…"

Moon stared at him with her eyes wide open.

"Well, you should have, don't you think?" she hissed at him in disbelief.

"I'm on it," Newt yawned, closing his eyes.

The black haired girl watched him for a moment, then sighed and sat down in a corner. Her stomach was still filled with a mixture of anxiety and helplessness because of her memory-nightmare. It was as if she just experienced it less than half hour ago. Experiments. Were they just… experiments? She resisted the urge to groan in frustration. The fact that she didn't understand what was going on began slowly but surely driving her incredibly insane. But at the same time, it was increasing the need to get out of the Glade right away. The escape seemed like the smartest option...

"You wanna talk about it?" the smooth voice broke her out of her thoughts.

When Moon turned her eyes to him, he wasn't looking at her. "About what?"

"About your dream."

Moon knew she should. Not just because he was the only familiar thing in this mess and not just because she felt like telling him anyway. But mainly because she woke him up in the middle of the night and practically forced him to sleep on the cold floor, embarrassing herself to no end. She was also trying to persuade him that he didn't have to look after her and that was no way to do it. Moon needed Newt to trust her. She needed him to stop being suspicious of her, so playing all mysterious and withholding information wasn't exactly helpful. So she told him everything, not missing out a single detail.

"Experiments," Newt repeated and chuckled bitterly. "Yeah, that really fits..."

Moon shivered. He made it sound worse than when she read it on the screen in her dream. They were like lab rats thrown into the middle of the maze. And _they_ were watching them, wondering if they would be able to find a way out. But why? What have they ever done to deserve this? Moon's eyes turned to the window, the Gate loomed in the distance. Maybe Newt was right, maybe it was just a vicious provocation. But still... the possibility that it was really the path to freedom was so tempting… How could anyone resist it?

She turned away from the Maze, meeting Newt's look instantly. He looked as if he expect her to say something, and narrowed his eyes when she didn't do so. Moon had a remark about the run off on her tongue, but she swallowed it. Today was the day to lower her head and play the obedient Glader.

 _It can't be that hard, can it?_

xXxXx

It was hard. It was freaking difficult, mainly because gardening was so boring. The clay was wet and slippery, and Moon was quite sure that she hadn't had to do anything like that in her previous life. Moreover, it was very hot and the gardens were near the Gate, so the urge look up there every five minutes was almost unbearable. Yet the black haired girl resisted, trying to keep her eyes on the ground, suppressing a sigh. Honestly, there were a lot of works, but no miracles. Moon apparently couldn't be a Runner or a Bagger - not strong enough and blahblah. She refused to participate in the slaughtering of the animals and for a Builder, she was allegedly 'too uncoordinated'. At least that was the official version - she was pretty sure that she could never be a builder because their Keeper happened to be Gally and he quite simply hated her. So there weren't many possibilities for her if she didn't want to be a Slopper.

"So that's what you're doing?" she turned to Newt, who was digging the ground a few meters away. She tried to sound casual, but a pinch of disappointment crept in her voice.

He lifted his head, blowing his hair from his eyes.

"Not really, I help with many things…"

"Could you be any more vague? Could you?" Moon wondered honestly.

The blond boy close to her chuckled amusingly. It was Zart, the Keeper of the Track-Hoes. He was quite alright, but that couldn't be said about the others in his group so far. Not only that they were giving Moon frowns and glares - they also seemed to purposely working as far from her as was possible.

"Being a girl is not contagious. They know it, right?" Moon raised her eyebrows when she moved to the next line and the boy closest to her immediately went to the other side of the field.

"Don't mind those shanks, they are probably just shy anyway," Zart replied with a shrug.

"So I take it you don't belong among those who think that my coming is the end of the world, yeah?"

The young man's lips stretched into a wide smile.

"Actually, I think that we can expect a brighter future. Logically, if you're here - the other girls will follow soon enough!"

Although his logic didn't have much evidence, Moon nodded.

"I really hope you're right."

"Hey, you two! What about more working and less bloody chitchat?" Newt called at them, probably to remind them that he was still there and still in charge.

"Yes, sir," Moon retorted and dutifully buried her hands back into the flower-beds, enjoying an amusing view of Zart, who tried to conceal his smile with his hand and smeared dirt all over his face.

Moon was obedient all day. She worked diligently, she listened to Alby's advice and commandments, and carved her name into the wall among the others, although it seemed utterly pointless to her - which she, of course, didn't mention. She'd met a couple of other boys, even though most of the others largely shunned or quietly watched her from a distance, so she felt like a black sheep in this small herd.

When the night came, Moon was almost quivering with anticipation. She couldn't sleep, so much afraid that she will oversleep her opportunity. In the end, she was half awake all night, declining to sleep each time just a few minutes.

Moon knew her time had come when the darkness in the room turned to gloom. Her eyes turned to a sleeping Newt, who was calmly breathing in his hammock. Moon knew from the previous morning that he was a light sleeper, so she wasn't going to risk opening the door. It was only two steps to the window. Two steps.

The black haired girl put on her boots slowly and tried to calm her heartbeat. Adrenaline was making her quite hyperactive. She slowly stood up, shifting all her weight on her toes. One step, another step. She turned to Newt. He was still asleep. Definitely. His jaw was relaxed, just like the rest of his body. Though if he had opened his eyes at that moment, she would probably have had a heart attack. Moon swung gently on the window frame and jumped down. She wasn't looking back again if the blond boy woke up. She ran.

The Gate was far away, across the whole Glade. And it was extremely strange to see it empty. However, the doors would open soon and that meant that the Gladers would start to get up for work. She didn't have much time. She slowed down as she approached the Gate and stopped in front of it. It began to dawn, and there was an ominous crackling sound as the walls of the labyrinth began to move. Moon didn't look back to check the Homestead, oblivious to anything other than the opening Gate. The whole world trembled for a moment, and then it stopped. The door was open, the dark alley was welcoming her.

Moon didn't have time to lose - the others would be out soon. She took a deep breath, taking a step into the Maze. And she never finished it. A cold hand clutched her elbow hard, pulling her back with a jerk. Moon completely froze with fear, breathlessly turning her eyes to the one who had caught her.

"Surprise," Gally said acidly, his eyes colder than ice.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and let me know what you think! :)**


	4. The Consequences

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.**

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **The Consequences**

* * *

"I can't bloody believe it," Newt exhaled, shaking his head.

They currently stood in a cottage of some sort; there were eleven chairs and a small table pushed to the wall. The previous day she had been told that this was the place when the Council met every week; that included all the Keepers, Newt and Alby. Now there was only her roommate… and Gally. Moon sincerely hoped that the others wouldn't appear here as well; the glares of the two boys were quite enough.

"I'm a bloody idiot for so easily believing that you turned into a 'docile sheep' so quickly… But this, well… I would never have guessed this," the blond boy said, arms folded, his eyes unreadable. "You're quite smart..." he added, but it didn't sound like a compliment at all.

"Thanks," Moon said uncertainly.

"Not as much as you think, though."

The black haired girl resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She knew she was in trouble, big trouble, but she couldn't help herself. This all just seemed a little too dramatic.

"Don't be so hard on yourself - you've obviously had your suspicions, otherwise you wouldn't send a guard here." She pointed to Gally.

"He actually offered himself," Newt informed dryly. "His paranoia about Greenies finally paid off."

 _Well, good for him._

The mentioned boy moved closer to Newt, and since he was still holding her arm in his iron grip, he dragged her there with him.

"What do we do with her now?" he asked, looking like he a lot of things on his mind himself. Moon was sure that she didn't want to hear any of them.

Newt didn't answer. He glanced towards the door. Chuck was coming into sight, comically dwarfed by Alby, who he'd been sent to get. The younger boy was immediately sent away, but before he disappeared from her view, he softly and somewhat ruefully smiled at her. Moon felt a glimmer of hope that was brutally trampled into the ground when she met the look of the great leader, who at this point looked like some God of Death.

"I heard you tried to escape into the Maze while everybody was sleeping," he said in a hard voice, his eyes piercing through her.

"Um, do you have any proof?" Moon tried to lighten the atmosphere a bit, but then she met Newt's eyes and she knew she should shut up fast. Her comment was, mercifully, ignored.

"I thought we have explained our rules to you clearly enough, but apparently not," Alby said coolly. "So once again… seeing as you can't appear to remember them. Everyone in the Glade, girls included, except the Runners, are prohibited from going into the Maze, is that clear?"

Moon quietly nodded; another reaction at that moment was out of the question. They were all so damn mad...

Alby took a step closer to her, but he didn't look any less intimidating closer up - quite the opposite.

"Are you going to do something like that again?"

"No," Moon replied calmly. _Because I doubt that after this I will get a chance to do it discreetly._

"Say it," Alby commanded. "Say that you'll never try to run into the Maze again."

Moon blinked. "Well-"

"Say it!" Alby snapped sharply.

The black haired girl hardly swallowed, Gally's grip started to ache.

"I'll never try to run into the Maze again," she said eventually.

"Good that," Alby said and for her relief, he finally left her personal space. "But don't think that you are gonna get away with it so easily. Any violation of the rules brings consequences." He turned to Newt, whose firm stance hasn't changed since they had walked inside. "Any suggestions?"

"There is such a thing as a warning, you know," Moon said innocently and immediately met Newt's glare.

"I gave you dozens of warnings," he said coolly. "You just wouldn't listen. I say no breakfast and in the Pit till lunch. Then Clint will take her off our hands."

Oh, yeah. Today was the day to try to be a Med-Jack.

Moon couldn't even think about how the word 'pit' sounded scary when Gally snapped back.

"Are you shucking kidding me? That's not enough!" he growled. "She tried to trick us, she planned it!"

"Slim it, Gally, this is her third day," Newt told him bluntly.

"Yeah, it's her third day!" the Builder emphasized the last two words. "Third day and she's already this nasty-"

"That's enough," Alby ended the argument. "I agree with Newt."

"Of course you do," Gally snorted. "When have you not?"

"Shut it, Gally, and back to work," Alby commanded. "You proved your point, now go."

Gally released her and Moon felt the blood rushing into her left hand again. Her thumb started to rub the spot where Gally had been holding her, but it stopped in mid-motion when Alby pointed his finger at her.

"You," he said firmly. "With me."

Then he walked out of the building. Moon followed him, once again turning to Newt, not really sure way. His face was unreadable, but his dark, brooding eyes said a lot...

xXxXx

The Pit was... a pit. Literally. It seemed that the Gladers had dug until they had come across rocks and then built a wooden lattice above the hole. It was cold in there - probably the only positive thing about it. One half of the Pit was fairly smooth, but it was still uncomfortable to sit on the hard stones. Moon leaned against the wall and sharp rocks were digging into her back. She had enough of it already, and she'd only been stuck in there for a few minutes.

The small, enclosed space slowly started to weigh on her. Her lungs suddenly felt too small and her breath turned shallow. It only took her a minute before she figured out what was wrong with her. She was claustrophobic. Yeah, this was definitely claustrophobia… It was unbearable. She could feel the pressure inside her ears and her arms were clenched in painful spasms. She knew she had to think about something else, or otherwise, she would go crazy.

Her plan failed. That definitely wasn't a step in the right direction, given the fact that a terrible frustration hit her with a force of a wrecking ball. She could have been outside, far away, but instead… she was here.

But no, that didn't matter. She would come up with another plan. She would never give up, never, she would get out one way or another. Screw Alby. Screw Gally - what was his freaking problem, anyway? Why the hell did he even care if she stayed in the Glade or not?

The image of Newt and his intense gaze appeared in front of her eyes. God, he seemed so angry… It was easy for her to trick him because he really wanted to believe it. He wanted to think that she had calmed down, that he finally had got her to understand. Something like this probably won't sink in fast…

The walls of her prison were closing on her - so much for thinking about something else. Moon moved as close to the bars as she could, ready to find something for distraction. She didn't have many options. She saw the western Wall and in the distance - Gally and other Builders were mounting some kind of construction. Moon rolled her eyes to the sky. It was blue, without a cloud, surrounded by a big yellow sun.

The sun.

It was so strange, she looked right at it and her eyes didn't hurt. It was bright, yes, but she could watch it without squinting. It didn't even dissipate around the edges, as it should. Moon thought about it so hard that the pain in her head worsened, but she couldn't let it go. Not when her instinct advised her otherwise. The sun was odd.

That sun was different...

 _ **The sun.**_

 _ **She was standing in a room full of papers, and each of them had a sun drawn on it. One and the same picture all over and over again. It was warm, but it didn't blind.**_

 _ **"Don't you know what that means?" an unfamiliar velvet voice said mockingly. Moon turned around, but the room was empty. There was nothing in there except for the strange, haunting pictures…**_

 _ **"Don't you realize?" the voice repeated, taunting her. The words seemed to echo around the hollow cavities of her skull, again and again, an endless torture…**_

"Hey!"

Moon winced and started to blink frantically because the world around her was just a big smudge. It took her a while before she managed to focus on Newt, who stood above her, his hands folded across his chest. His eyes were softer… Maybe he had cooled off a bit through the morning.

"You realize that this was supposed to be a punishment, not an opportunity for you to take a bloody nap, right?"

 _Or… maybe not._

He opened her prison and Moon could finally breathe freely.

She slowly climbed out, stretching her arms and running her fingers through her hair.

"Geez, that was awful," she murmured softly.

"I do hope so," Newt said without the slightest hint of compassion.

Moon looked at him with a slight frown.

"You're so mean when you're… mean." Well, it seemed that today she could just carry a conversation fine.

The boy didn't respond to her comment. Silently, he led her through the Glade away from the Pit. Moon felt like a prisoner on a walk of shame. Instead of watching her surroundings, she raised her eyes to heaven. No, it wasn't just a dream.

That sun was weird.

"The sun is strange," she said matter-of-factly.

Newt turned his eyes to her with an unamused expression.

"You were in the Pit for a few hours, and you're already going nuts?"

He didn't even look at the sky.

Moon's fingers pinched the bridge of her nose. There was no point to talk to him now when he was noticeably still fairly upset. Additionally, if he hadn't noticed it in three years, what was the likelihood that he would notice it now? And what about the others… haven't they noticed? Maybe it was because they couldn't remember anything, so they would hardly know what the actual sun had looked like… But Moon didn't remember either that she had seen one before.

"We're here," Newt told her somewhat unnecessarily as he opened the door of the Med-Jacks' hut. There was a red haired boy with a freckled face inside, sitting on a chair next to a cot. It was apparent from the first sight that he wasn't brimming with enthusiasm. "Here she is, Clint, have a nice time," Newt said sarcastically and left.

The hut was plunged into silence. Clint was watching her little unsurely and Moon became quickly bored by the quietness.

"Today is sure not his best day," she said with a forced smile, approaching the boy and holding out her hand.

"I'm Moon."

To her surprise and slight annoyance, the redhead was staring at her hand with wide eyes.

"What's your problem?" she asked, frowning. "I'm not radioactive!"

"It's not that," Clint muttered and stood up. "Alby told us that if someone touches you, he would castrate them himself." He uncertainly scratched his head.

Moon chuckled. Alby had a unique way of ruling, she gave him that. But she didn't withdraw her hand.

"I highly doubt that this is what he meant," she said with a softer tone.

"Sure," Clint nodded, a little more relaxed and gently squeezed her hand. "I'm Clint. I'm the Keeper of the Med-Jacks."

"That's what I heard."

"So, do you want to be a Med-Jack?"

"There aren't many options here, really. And gardening is kinda gross," Moon said in all seriousness.

Clint chuckled, scratching his nose.

"You are a girl, after all…" he said, but then his own words stopped him. "Wait... You won't pass out at the sight of blood, will you?"

Moon ran that idea through her head. Her mind contained a lot of pictures, but she couldn't remember that she ever had any direct contact with blood. Would she be sick?

"Well, I guess we'll find out."

Clint explained to her the basics of medicine. He spoke slowly and patiently, and Moon was doing nothing else but nodding for some time.

"How do you know all this stuff?" she asked curiously.

"They sent us books," Clint said, reaching for one of them and handing it over to her.

It was quite extensive and its packaging had no title on it. Moon thoughtfully ran her fingers across it and then opened it. It looked like a manual, very detailed written for laymen and she couldn't shake the feeling that she had read it already. The words seemed familiar to her, the pictures of anatomy, the Latin names of drugs...

"Is something wrong?" Clint asked when he noticed her frowning.

"Nothing," she smiled at him and closed the book. "So you had a lot of work with it, huh?"

"Not really," the redhead shrugged. "They sent us almost anything we need. Tools and drugs. And most of the time, we just treat scrapes and scratches. The worst are definitely the Slicers and the Runners. The Builders aren't very careful either. We've already had a lot of almost-separated fingers, sprained ankles and concussions. That reminds me, I heard that you came out of the Box pretty battered."

Moon blinked in surprise.

"Oh, yeah. A few bruises, no big deal."

"I can give you something on it."

 _Geez, thanks. You couldn't do it two days ago when the itching was killing me?!_

"No, that's okay. I want to have a proof that I put up a fight before they managed to put me in that box."

Clint looked at her, his eyes narrowed.

"Uh, that was a joke," Moon said uncertainly. "I don't need anything, it's fading already." To prove her right she lifted her hand and showed him her wrist.

"Right."

One thing was clear - Clint was definitely not like Frypan. He wasn't one for messing around. The door burst open and revealed a boy, whom Moon had never noticed before, which was quite strange because he had a quite long, dark hair and his face was covered with acne. Anyway, he held a piece of cloth on his arm that was soaked in blood. When he saw her, he frowned. In a very hostile manner.

"What's she doing here?" he growled towards the ginger boy.

Moon raised an eyebrow at his tone, but Clint responded before she managed to take a breath.

"She is trying to be a Med-Jack. Just sit down, Winston, you're just in time."

The boy with pimples all over his face shook his head vehemently.

"No shucking way, I'm not doing her a lab rat!"

"Okay," Moon said casually. "Bleed to death, fine by me."

"That's not exactly a thing Med-Jack should say," Clint admonished her gently.

"Oh, sorry," Moon dutifully nodded, turning back to Winston with a sweet smile. "Please, sit down and let me have a look. Be good and you get a lollipop." Both boys looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"I'm just kidding. We don't have any lollipops anyway, so…"

Winston looked at the Keeper, but Clint didn't seem willing do anything to help him, so he hesitantly sat on the cot. Moon pulled her chair closer to him, and as she looked at the wet cloth on his shoulder, she froze. The rusty smell of blood was slowly filling her nose. But she wasn't fainting yet.

"Is this really a good idea?" she turned to the red haired boy.

Clint nodded.

"It's best to learn by doing."

Moon shrugged. This guy wasn't likable anyway. Without warning, she pulled the rag from the wound and then examined it. It was flat, as if from a blade, not particularly deep, and it hardly bled.

"So, what do you think it would be best to do now?" Clint asked patiently, resembling some very old professor of medicine.

"Oh, you're shucking kidding me," Winston shook his head in disbelief.

"Disinfect it?" Moon took a guess and in return, she got a bottle of clear liquid. Her treatment began; the patient was twitching.

"So, what do you do, Winston?" she asked. Not that she would like to have a conversation with him - he had been nothing but rude since he stepped a foot inside - she was trying to distract him from the pain and stop him from moving.

Winston was silent.

"He's a Slicer," Clint responded for him eventually.

"How the hell did this happen to you?" Moon wondered.

Winston was silent.

"What, you are ashamed that you cut yourself when you wanted to scratch behind your ear and forgot the knife in your hand?"

Winston grunted. Clint stared. Moon wished Frypan was here. Or Chuck. Zart. Maybe even Gally. No, definitely not Gally.

"Hold still, boy!" she said impatiently.

"Don't call me boy, Greenie!" Winston said angrily.

"Don't call me Greenie, boy," returned Moon velvety.

"Are you done?" Clint asked nervously, probably sensing a bad end to it all.

"I think we need to sew it up."

"What?!" Winston's eyes widened.

"Actually, yeah, I think you're right..."

"Clint, no way that I'm gonna let her-"

"That's okay, lad, girls can sew better than boys," Moon gave him a fake smile.

Clint didn't look convinced. Winston was scowling like a thousand devils.

"Do not call me lad!"

"Whatever. Do you have any painkillers?"

"Clint!"

"I suppose you'll be more careful after this experience," Moon pointed out meaningfully.

"Yeah, that could actually be true," the redhead acknowledged surprisingly.

Moon didn't like blood, that was clear. The thought of a needle entering her skin made her feel weak. But stabbing a needle into Winston's was quite fun. This obnoxious guy probably helped her discover her sadistic side. She could feel his furious glare on her all the time.

 _What the hell is his problem? He can't even feel it!_

"Care to tell me why you hate me so much?" she asked, without taking her eyes from his wound. "We literally just met like ten minutes ago."

"You don't belong here."

Moon blinked, raising her surprised eyes to him.

"None of us belong here, Winston. They put us here."

"You don't get it," Winston retorted with a wrinkled nose. "Everything was fine until you showed up. Now everyone just argues all the time and it's because of you! You're not one of us."

Moon stared at him, a bitter scent rising into her nose.

"Are you kidding me? You think I wanted to be here? You think I was dying to be in your little Boys town?" She turned her head to Clint, but he watched them with a blank expression on his face. He didn't seem to want to join either side.

"I don't care what you wanted. Everybody in here goes by certain rules for years, none of us had a problem with them, but you just had to show up and start making shucking trouble!"

"Are you really that dumb to talk to me like this while I'm holding a needle in my hand?! I would choose my next words carefully, if I were you!" Moon threatened, lifting a needle with entangled thread closer to his face.

Winston looked murderously at her but said nothing.

"Good call," she said coldly. "Now shut up and let me finish this."

The hut plunged into silence for a long ten minutes. Moon was, most of the time, trying to resist the desire to stab a needle deep into Winston's neck. She finished the sewing, Clint helped her bandage the wound and the Slicer shot out of the door without a word, fists clenched.

"You know how to make friends," Clint noted quietly.

"That's my specialty," Moon said, leaning comfortably into a chair. Clint stared at her. Sarcasm wasn't apparently his thing either.

xXxXx

This was definitely the worst day ever. She was caught, hauled across the Glade, given a brutal lecture, half of a day she spent in the Pit, that acne-boy cursed her for her existence, and now she walked behind an evidently still pretty angry Newt, who ever since he picked her up at Clint had not spoken a single word.

Moon didn't have the strength for this. She was tired, humiliated, frustrated and the blond boy, who represented the only link with her past that she had, didn't even look her and was making things a hundred times worse. The black haired girl closed the door to their room and wearily leaned against it.

"I'm sorry," she exhaled.

Newt slowly turned around, folding his hands across his chest, but said nothing. He just glared at her with those dark eyes of his.

"I don't apologize for breaking the rules or trying to escape…" _Because I'm not really sorry for that._

"But I'm sorry that I tricked you."

The boy snorted, shaking his head. "For real?"

Moon frowned slightly.

"I'm just trying to be honest."

"Oh, so madam is trying to be honest now," Newt drawled out mockingly. "That's quite a change."

"What's your damn problem, Newt, I'm just-"

"You're the problem," Newt told her with a firm voice. "Don't you understand? You could have died today. Don't you bloody care?"

"Why do you care?" Moon bounced off the door and stepped closer to him. She tried to catch his eye, but he avoided her.

"What the hell kind of a question is that?" Newt exclaimed angrily. "Are you crazy or what? Oh, why do I even ask, of course you are! You are totally out-"

"I'm just trying to figure out if you care about everyone," Moon snapped. "or if you remember…"

Newt frowned in confusion.

"Remember what?"

"Me."

He blinked and stiffened. The room was momentarily plunged into a thick silence in which neither of them has broken their eye contact. Moon was pleadingly searching in his eyes.

"You remember me?" Newt asked calmly.

"I know you," she said in frustration. "I don't know from where or how, but I'm sure I've seen you before."

The blond boy looked puzzled, his hand pushing distractedly through his hair.

"You... This is... Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I don't know… Would it make any difference? You don't remember me," Moon said bitterly, hoping that he would prove her wrong. She wished for it so damn much.

Newt looked at her. After a long time, his eyes were bright again and full of compassion.

"No, I don't…"

Those words were cutting into her heart like a blade made of ice. He didn't feel the same thing when he looked at her… He didn't see the tiny light in the distance, he didn't feel just a little bit less lost… He didn't feel anything.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

She wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault. But she didn't.

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

 **Big thanks to those who favorited/followed and especially to those who reviewed! :)**

 **I hope you enjoyed today's chapter and the next one will be out soon!**

 **Leave a review!**


	5. About the Sun

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.**

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **About The Sun**

* * *

 _This was either a brilliant idea or a horrible mistake._

Well, there was always a very thin line between those two. Moon lasted nearly three days - three days without dramas, three days without lectures or punishments. Yesterday Alby had almost smiled at her! Well, it was hard to tell from that height, but Moon would bet all her money she didn't have that he wasn't smiling right now…

"Just get back down now!"

Moon winced when she heard that familiar English accent. She could imagine Newt standing there, arms folded, shaking his head, expression clearly saying _'_ _Are you bloody kidding me?!_ _'_ and that wasn't the best feeling ever. Moon took a slow breath and went closer to the edge. Her hand slipped in her pocket; she could feel little rocks in there.

She was standing on top of the wall of the Maze.

This was either a brilliant idea or a horrible mistake.

And she was about to find out.

 **~ Earlier that day ~**

Moon was drowning. Even after she opened her eyes in the dense darkness, she could still feel the freezing water touching her skin.

And it was terrifying. Suddenly, a warm hand came out of nowhere, softly taking hers and wrapping its fingers around it.

"It's okay," Newt whispered, his voice smooth. "Just a nightmare."

"I wish," Moon sighed, covering her eyes with the back of her other hand.

This was lately the routine of her life. Her dreams had become more bizarre with every single night. She kept seeing the blond woman, the man with the rat face, screens full of faces staring blankly right at her, and if she was particularly lucky - she was drowning or running down a cold, white corridor while someone chasing after her. But they had never caught her again - Newt had always woken her up before they could.

"Sorry," she let out softly.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. Maybe I should move in a different room. I'm constantly waking you up, and-"

"I said it's fine. Don't be bloody stupid."

Moon chuckled at his comment.

"What's so funny?"

"That is at least the fifth time you told me that I'm stupid. The hell of a gentleman you are."

"Don't act stupid and I won't call you that."

"You are such a shank."

"Oh, hell no! Don't do that! Don't use the Glader slang, it sounds so weird when a girl says that!"

"Haha! Frypan taught me well, slinthead!"

"It's really not-"

"Shuckiest shuck-face ever!"

"You stop it right now…"

"You want me to slim it?"

"Hm. I think it's quite likely that we're all gonna starve to death real soon…"

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm gonna kill Frypan."

xXxXx

"You're watching the sky again," Newt said, returning her to reality. Moon had frozen her hands in the middle of the node, staring into a blank space.

"Remember how I told you that the sun is strange?"

She couldn't let it go. Something just wasn't right, an she was coming back to it over and over. That had to mean something.

Newt sighed wearily.

"Please, don't do anything stupid."

"Who do you think I am?" Moon let out easily and immediately met Newt's murderous glare. "Um... Don't look at me like that, please."

"I'm serious, Moon," he said uncompromisingly. "Finally, the situation started to calm down a bit. And this is your one-week anniversary here. Say it. Say that you won't do anything crazy!"

Moon rolled her eyes.

"I won't do anything crazy, happy?"

"As far as possible, yeah."

They returned to work. After some time, she got bored by the silence. Instead of being devoted to gardening, she began to observe the blond boy who was digging right next to her.

"How old do you think you are?" she asked thoughtfully.

Newt's surprised eyes turned to her. He paused, thinking.

"Seventeen? Maybe?"

"Um…" Moon wasn't sure. Newt was among those people with whom was almost impossible to guess how old they were. He was all soft and gentle face, but he spoke and acted like an adult. "Maybe. But I think I'm older than you."

The blond shook his head with a smirk.

"Where is that coming from?"

"Just a feeling," Moon shrugged.

"Yeah, right. Don't think so, Tiny-Moony," Newt said doubtfully.

"Everything is not just about height, you know, Newty?" Moon scowled playfully. "It's also about maturity and wisdom... And - wait! I just remembered! I am actually older than you."

Newt leaned his shovel against a tree and put his thumb on his chin pretending to think. "Interesting... So you've remembered? Just now?" he asked, mock-intrigued.

"Just now," Moon nodded; she was trying to sound as seriously as him, but the corners of her mouth were twitching.

"What a coincidence! Almost unbelievable!"

Moon rolled her eyes, elated.

"Don't be sore just because I'm the more mature one here."

And Newt laughed. Really and truly, and it sounded perfect. Moon had actually never heard him laugh before. He smiled a lot, he frowned a lot, but till this moment he had never actually laughed. When he felt her gaze, he turned to her and she quickly dropped her eyes to the plants. It was hard to ignore the blood rushing to her face.

xXxXx

"This is slavery," Moon was complaining loudly. "How is it even possible you still have work to do at this rate?"

The lunch break just finished and Alby hurried all stragglers back to work. Among them were her and Clint, who over her remark just shook his head and headed back to Med-Jack's hut. Moon was starting to think that she wasn't exactly his favorite person in the world. But it was hard to tell with Clint, really.

"Yeah, you complain," Chuck snorted, appearing right next to her. He was still eating an apple, but there was a rag slung over his shoulder.

"Why can't you be a gardener too, kid?" she asked curiously. "What's so hard about it anyway?"

"Zart hates me," Chuck said with a shrug. "I ripped a few plants from the ground by mistake. I thought they were weeds."

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

"They say that a lot," Chuck shrugged again. "And you know what they say about you?"

"Not really, and I think I can live without it."

"Ok… Moon?"

"Hm?"

"You wanna know something else?"

"Geez, what now?"

"It wasn't a mistake."

Moon turned to him with amusement, but the boy had walked away in a different direction. He glanced back over his shoulder after a few moments and gave her a sly smile.

 _That kid is something else._

Newt had left her. Today the Runners had apparently gotten a day off because he was summoned to an important meeting in their cabin. A meeting, which wasn't open to the general public and Moon. Especially Moon, was Alby's exact words to be precise.

Newt should never have left her alone with her thoughts. Never. It happened when she was helping Zart to drag a piece of plastic over the flowerbeds. It was supposed to work like a hothouse, although its appearance resembled one only vaguely. Moon had to tie the tarp down on some prepared pins, so she was under it. The plastic created a dome above her with a hazy shining outline which she knew was the sun shining through it relentlessly. Moon looked up and exhaled in utter disbelief. In that moment - she knew. The feeling was so strong that she couldn't believe she hadn't noticed before.

 _ **Don't you realize it?**_

Newt was right. She _was_ bloody stupid...

Her blood was once again drumming in her head. What now? How could she prove it? Her hands were faster than her thoughts - already picking up pebbles from the ground and putting them in her pocket. How to get up there? Her eyes fell on the ivy. Specifically, the place where it grew almost from the ground up to the very top. One quick glance to check if Zart was looking in her direction and then she ran directly to the all. She gripped the thick tendrils and with a jerk checked their strength. Without any other thought, she bounced off the ground.

"Hey!" Zart had finally noticed that his ward was no longer tearing weed, but it was too late.

The climbing was not as difficult as she imagined it. The ivy was stiff and the wall's surface beneath it rough, so she could push off it quite easily.

 _ **"Say it. Say you won't do anything crazy!"**_

Newt's words didn't run through her head until she was halfway through.

 **~ NOW ~**

So there she was. Standing atop the walls. Looking over the Maze which was not huge, but enormous - even from her place, she couldn't see the end of it. Moon was up there and she never felt so trapped because the whole world was a maze and she had no idea how to find a way out of it.

The Gladers gathered quite quickly beside the Wall, creating a semicircle beneath her. Some boys tried to start to climb up to her, but Alby, running towards the small crowd, stopped them with his very loud and very pissed off barking. Moon ignored yells and shouts of the others and turned her eyes to the sky again, realizing that her great plan had one small bug. If there really was some kind of screen between them and the sky, who said it was close enough for her to throw that far? Her impulsiveness was once again proved to be a complication.

Well, now was no time for pity. Now was the moment of truth.

She pulled out one of the rocks and threw it with all her strength up. And... it bounced right off. It hit the invisible wall hanging above them like impenetrable glass. Moon gasped, excited and horrified at once. That could be what… twenty feet? With the ardent expectations of their responses, she turned to the crowd below her.

"What the hell is she doing up there?!"

"Go back down immediately, Greenie!"

"That's not funny, you know?!"

Moon groaned in frustration. Was it even possible for them to see it from that distance? The black haired girl pulled a larger rock from her pocket and sent it straight into the sky again. This time, it bounced off with a muffled cracking sound. When she looked down, they were still shouting at her, but a few of them were pointing at the sky, confused expressions on their faces.

"Shut up and watch!" Moon yelled at them impatiently.

This time, she gathered a handful of stones and tossed it toward the sky. They hit the screen with a dull rumble and then began raining on the Gladers bellow. They just stared at the sky frozen, looking like some kind of religion sect at that moment. They saw it, they knew as well now. They were under the dome. And however unbelievable that was, it kind of made sense; the Creators didn't want them to climb out of the Maze. The only possible way was through it.

The silence was broken by a fiery cry she could hear very clearly even from her spot.

"Come back down!" Damn. Alby's voice. He didn't sound very happy, but again - Alby never was. Moon gulped, embracing herself. Somehow she felt like he was not about to congratulate her on her discovery.

Before she managed to climb down, a loud discussion already erupted on the ground. The Gladers talked over each another, arguing, and just a few boys stood by the Wall, waiting for her. Zart; who pulled her to the ground, once she was within reach, was one of them.

"Damn, girl," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Are you really that crazy?"

Moon didn't have the answer on that. Her eyes tried to find Newt, heart at the bottom of her stomach. He stood a few meters from her, arguing with Winston. The chaos continued and the black haired girl could hear words such as 'before her', 'shucking dome', 'everything was fine' and 'troublemaker'.

"SHUT UP!" Alby yelled so powerfully, Moon had a feeling that the ground shook a little. Therefore, it wasn't exactly comforting when the leader's eyes landed on her.

"So, Greenie," he spoke up so quietly and gently that it was impossible to compare it with his previous output, making it all the more frightening. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Each one pair of eyes turned towards her at that moment, and she wished she'd come back to the ground in free fall style.

Moon cleared her throat.

"Well," she said cautiously. "I know you're upset, I can see that. But I not sure I really get… why? If I remember correctly, there is no rule about climbing the wall."

Silence. Oppressive silence. Lasting exactly three seconds.

"She's right," Frypan said eventually. "There ain't."

"What?!"

"Are you shucking kidding me?!"

"That doesn't mean-"

"Silence, everyone!" Alby silenced them again; his eyes were fixed on her. "I've personally told you at least three times not to go behind those walls."

"I didn't," Moon frowned.

"Really?" Alby raised his eyebrows. "Because from my perspective you tried to climb over the wall and accidentally stumbled upon the fact that we are under a dome."

 _Wait… What? What?!_

"No, no, no. I climbed there because of the dome!" Moon tried to convince him. God, that theory was crazy. Why should she climb over the wall when the Gate was still open?

"How could you possibly know about that?" one of the boys asked skeptically. Moon didn't know his name and wasn't exactly in a rush to find out.

"Told you," snorted no one else but Winston. Yeah, his name she knew. "I was telling you this whole time! She is-"

"My ass that you figured that out just like that!" another voice said slightingly.

"So, how did you know? Hm?"

"How did you know?!"

More and more questions followed. It started to feel like an interrogation; it started to feel like a trial. Moon felt the nervosity slowly overwhelm her body; it was getting harder and harder to organize her thoughts especially as they shouted at her. There were so many of them… and only one of her.

"The sun! That's how!" she screamed out loudly to drown out everybody else.

The Gladers as one man lifted their eyes to the sky. Some thoughtfully started to mutter something about seeing it as well, but others just kept on screaming, that it was stupid, and most of them just shook their heads, getting even more annoyed. Moon desperately looked at Newt, but his expression was unreadable.

"I told you, remember?" she spoke up to him in the last hope. "I told you that the sun is weird!"

 _Please, don't let me down, just please…_

For the first time, her prayers were actually heard.

"Yeah, she actually said that," Newt admitted slowly, after two endlessly long seconds.

"Did she also tell you she was going to climb the wall to figure that out?" asked one of the Slicers wearily.

"Hell yeah, she bloody did, Tim," Newt snapped. "And I was just like 'Sure thing! Today is a bloody perfect day to do it!'."

"Calm down again, alright?" Alby interjected angrily. "This is really getting on my nerves… There's no proving that you didn't try to run. So-"

"Are you kidding me?" Moon shook her head in disbelief. "You are, right? We just found out that they've put us into a freaking aquarium and I'm still the biggest deal?!"

"How do we know that the dome was always there?" said one of the Baggers skeptically. "Maybe she did it! Maybe she launched it there somehow herself!"

"And how exactly did she do that, genius?! Stop making klunks up, Terry!" snapped the Keeper of the Runners - one of Newt's friends. Moon had been told before that his name was Minho, but this had been one of the few moments when they had actually been around each other. Anyway, the muscled guy immediately won her sympathy.

"Yeah, the dome has been around long before!"

"How do you know? Have you noticed it before?"

"It all started when they sent her!"

"Yes, she's a girl, Tim. Deal with it already!"

Moon wasn't able to tell who was on her side and who was against her after a while. The Gladers were screaming incessantly, pointing at each another, at her, at the sky. Newt was trying to push away some pairs, who seemed on the verge of fighting, but Alby just stood by, doing nothing. Besides looking at her. And the message was clear - **Look what you've done.**

Moon suppressed a shudder. A part of her was cursing him, couldn't stand that he was actually blaming her for everything. On the other hand, the second part was somehow able to understand him. Alby was trying to run over thirty teenage boys here, and from what she saw - he hadn't had any major problems with it before… and without her, this whole thing wouldn't have happened.

 _ **Everything was fine until you showed up! Now everyone just argues all the time! Because of you!**_ Winston's words sprang into her head and her eyes sought him out automatically. He looked at her too, his eyes full of hatred.

 _Screw the other part._

"I don't care what you think," she said quietly, looking straight into his eyes. "I don't care what you think!" she repeated, this time much louder. The discussion slowly faded away; Newt gave her a warning look, but she ignored it completely.

"I have nothing to do with this," she said, her hands folded across her chest. "And I am really sorry that I'm crushing your little fairytale, but this is no damn vacation, this is jail! We're lab rats in a maze seeking for a cheese, and they ensured us with a dome! Get that in your heads already!"

"So what are you saying - that we wanna live here?" one of the Slicers, Carl, narrowed his eyes at her. "That's what you think?"

"Well, I really don't know." Moon pointed her finger towards the gardens. "I was just about to finish a flowerbed number 32 - It seems to me that you guys quite settled here."

"What would you like us to do?" Newt scowled at her, basing his arms as well. "Rise up, run into the Maze and let the Grievers tears us apart?"

 _I'm in. Three, two, one, go?_

"At least we would be doing something! You're afraid to die and this is supposed to be better?" Moon swept the crowd with a look. "So what…? Do you want to live or do you want to be alive?"

Silence. Probably one of the most unpleasant that Moon had ever experienced, and she had a lot to compare. Nobody had nothing to say all of the sudden. The black haired girl wasn't actually expecting a response. She just stood there, arms folded, watching them defiantly. She might be a lunatic in their eyes, but they were just as insane for staying here in hers.

 _So what, you want to tell me anything else?_

Someone obviously did.

"Nice speech," Alby said with a calm voice, Moon definitely didn't like the dark glint in his eyes. "You're still going in the Pit, though…"

Moon could feel the anxiety slowly filling her stomach, but she stood her ground without a flinch.

"You can't make me," she said back evenly.

Alby took a step closer.

"So I take it you never want to see the outside of it?" he asked darkly.

Moon tilted her head to a side.

"It's kinda quiet here, don't you think?"

She was right. The other boys were standing around and to be honest, it was sort of creepy see the Gladers so speechless and numb. Alby looked around and saw them watching him, watching her, or looking at the sky, completely lost.

"Gathering," he said firmly, turning to Newt. "Now."

The blond boy nodded and clasped his hands.

"Alright, boys, everyone get in the cabin. Come on."

"Not you," Alby pointed a finger at her, his eyes dark.

Moon blinked in puzzlement.

"What?"

Newt's eyes flickered between Alby and her, and then he lifted his hand in calming gesture in her direction. "Just stay here, alright?" His eyes fell on the youngest boy in the crowd. "Chuck, watch over her."

"Sure thing, boss," Chuck smiled airily, he apparently shook off the current events pretty quickly.

Moon didn't have any words. She just watched in dismay when the crowd of boys just took off, moving away from her.

 _ **You're not one of us.**_

Winston's words ran through her head once again.

* * *

 **So, I saw the _How it should have ended_ video and I was like - of course, they would have put a dome over it! :D I mean, how hard it is to build a ladder? **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and - as always - leave a review. :)**


	6. Who Is Faster?

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.**

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **Who Is Faster?**

* * *

Moon growled something about how guys just had hay in their heads and sat down on a piece of wood lying forgotten on the ground. She rested her elbows on her knees, staring fiercely ahead of her. How dared they treating her like this?! She was the one who find out about the dome - that was her!

"Oh, man. The Glade was so boring without you," Chuck said with a chuckle, as if he didn't even notice that she was irritated out of her mind. "This was awesome, by the way. I'm totally in your team, you know."

"You're the only one then," the black haired girl muttered, still pretty angry at basically everyone.

"It may surprise you, but you have fans," the curly-haired boy said and sat down next to her.

Moon turned to him, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"You're saying that just to make me feel better, aren't you?"

"So what if I am?" Chuck asked with a smile. "Doesn't have to mean it's not true."

 _That sneaky dumbass._ Moon smiled a little.

"I like you, kid," she said softly. "You know what? I'll find the way out." _Apparently, I have to do everything myself._ "And when I find it - I'll take you with me."

Chuck's eyes lit up like candles.

"Great!"

"I'm not sure about the rest, though," Moon muttered stubbornly. "Maybe they'll be too busy with their private Gatherings and figuring out how to make my life even more miserable than it already is!" she said loudly and in their direction, but they were too far away.

"You know they can't hear you, right?" Chuck asked with slight frown.

Moon rolled her eyes. As she looked back toward the cabin where they all were, she noticed that one of the boys in the crowd had detached himself and started coming back. As he approached, Moon realized that he was one of the Runners. He had short blond hair and a wily smile on his face.

"What now?" she asked as soon as he was within earshot. "Chuck isn't capable of watching me himself?"

The Runner gave the younger boy a derogatory glance.

"He isn't, but that's not why I am here."

"You changed your mind? You're not going?" Moon raised her eyebrows. _Not interested in a politics much, huh?_

"Have you ever been in a common Gathering, Greenie? No, of course, you haven't," the boy answered his own question smugly. "But if you think this was chaos, you don't know what you're talking about. Those things are brutal - I rather pass."

"It's pretty hardcore, really," Chuck nodded. "Last time Alby completely ripped his vocal cords. His voice was hoarse even a few days afterward… I laughed at him and he put me on toilet duty for the rest of the week."

"Hm..." Moon wickedly hoped that this Gathering would be even worse than that one. "So? Why are you here?" she turned back to the blond boy.

"How did you know?" he asked simply.

"What do you mean?"

"I've lived here for two years and I've never noticed it. Others have been here even longer. So how did you know?"

Moon frowned when she heard signs of incredulity in his voice.

"You have a theory, don't you?"

The Runner shrugged.

"There are those who think that you're a spy. Mainly because you're a girl, but now they have another reason."

"That's quite an idiotic theory, Ben," Chuck said, frowning.

Moon ignored his remark.

"That's what you really think?"

Ben folded his arms.

"I didn't say I was one of them."

"If I'm a spy, what is my goal, huh? The Creators would be dumb if they didn't have cameras in here, and seeing as they took our freaking memories, they obviously aren't. So what would they need me for?"

"To tear us apart? Herded us into the Maze? Force us to be more active? Take us down one by one?" Ben offered without any hesitation.

"Wow. You really gave it some thought," Moon said bitterly. She wondered how many Gladers thought that… Was that really easier than to believe that she was simply on their side?

"I'm just saying what I heard. But it is suspicious, don't you think? You make a big, incredible discovery - just like if you were trying to gain our trust… we'd be stupid not to question your motives a little."

"On the contrary, I think it's quite simple," Moon said, trying to keep her voice calm. "I have to be the enemy because I'm a girl. So in the end of the day, you're all just a bunch of sexists, inventing a crazy theories because I don't fit into your beloved system, and that scares you. You can't stand it that you don't understand why I'm here and that just reminds you that you have no idea what's really going on."

Ben watched her for a moment and then he did something totally unexpected. He smiled.

"You're nothing like I thought you were."

Moon blinked, not knowing exactly how that should be taken, so she rather stayed quiet.

"You're right, you know?" the Runner said with a lighter tone. "I think that most of the anti-girl club are just afraid of change. They don't wanna have to uproot everything to get out of here, even if it means getting their lives back. It's easier to just go with it when you don't even remember what you had lost."

Moon stared at him. She had expected almost anything, but not that.

"Hell yeah!" Chuck exclaimed enthusiastically. "Team Moon! Girls are awesome!"

"They sure are," Ben said, sending her a bright smile.

"That was… very weird, but fine," she said a little uncertainly. "To answer your question - Zart and I were building a greenhouse. At that moment, it hit me."

Ben just lifted one of his eyebrows.

"So you just decided to climb the Wall? Just like that?"

"I'm a little impulsive..."

"Really? I had no idea!" he exclaimed sarcastically.

"What do you think will happen next?" Chuck asked curiously. "With the dome and stuff?"

"Nothing can be done with the dome," Ben said. "The Gathering decides what to do with Moon."

"Oh, Winston has to love this so much," Moon said sourly. "Suggestions must be just falling out of his mouth, that vicious little sadist!"

"Gally will probably be worse," Ben mused. "When it comes to rules - he is really a freak. And he can be creative."

"Thanks, shank."

A moment later, both boys were called inside for a vote. Chuck gave her thumbs-up before disappearing into the building. Ben looked at her with a sly smile, but said nothing. Moon remained near the wall by herself and before long, her eyes fell on the open Gate. She was alone. They were all closed in the cabin. That urge to get up and run away was burning. After all, it was probably her last chance before Alby, Gally and Winston got the crowd to leave her in the Pit forever or something. So why the hell didn't she just go?

She froze. They had left her here without supervision. They could have called her closer, but they haven't. They'd left her guarded by a small and careless kid who couldn't have really minded if she escaped or not, from their point of view. It had been only three days since she had tried to escape and they had just happened to leave her alone beside the opened Gate? Nah. This was a trick. It was a trap and Moon could feel Newt's hand heavily involved in it.

 _It was definitely his idea! Damn that sneaky little bastard! Damn him! And his accent!_

Moon shook her head and then put it into her hands. Her anger from testing her was gone and she couldn't quite get it back.

Newt. Damned, tousled Newt. The guilt came into her heart, and she found it hard to admit how much she was worried because she had broken the word she had given him. And how much it scared her that he wouldn't speak with her again. That he would be angry. Again. That she would have to face his scorching dark eyes… Again.

Moon raised her head when she heard something. The Gathering had ended - the door opened and the Gladers one after another rushed out. They went back to their jobs, some of them angry, some of them confused, some of them simply depressed. Only one of them headed her direction.

And it was _him_ , of course.

Moon surged to her feet as he approached.

"I'm sorry. Really sorry. I know what I said, I'm really-" she blabbered, only to be cut off.

"Hey, hey, slow down, okay?" Newt raised his hands into the air in a mock-surrender. He looked suspiciously calm. "Let's talk about this for a moment…"

Moon carefully examined his expression.

"You don't look furious, that's strange… Are you furious? Is this like a calm stage of your furious mode?! Oh. My. God. I'm-"

His hand landed on her mouth, not allowing her to make another sound.

"Done for now?" He raised his eyebrows.

Moon hesitantly nodded; his dark eyes were looking straight into hers. "I'm not furious. Now, I'm gonna take my hand off and your mouth will be zipped for the following three minutes, is that clear?" She nodded again. Newt slowly withdrew his hand.

"You aren't going in the Pit."

"What?!"

The boy with the tousled blond hair frowned.

"What did I just bloody say?!"

"Sorry," whispered Moon quietly.

Newt sighed.

"Don't get cocky, alright? After the vote, it was 17 to 16 in your favor. I honestly don't recall the vote ever being that tight… Gally was furious. Which was a bonus."

Moon was honestly quite shocked. Seventeen Gladers had voted for her not to be punished. She could be sure about maybe six... Seven, if she counted Ben in.

"Alby must be out of his mind," she noted, imagining the hard expression on the leader's face.

Newt shortly nodded.

"Yeah, he's not exactly in the best mood right now. He still want to talk to you though, but tomorrow - he needs to cool off first. Until then, stay away from him and out of trouble, if you are capable of something like that," he added meaningfully.

"I'll do my best," Moon nodded quickly. "I'm seriously-"

"I think that most of the boys changed their minds after your heartbreaking speech," Newt said to her, his eyes darkened once again. "Just so you know - in my opinion, that was incredibly stupid, ruthless and pretty heartless."

Moon bravely met his gaze. She actually didn't remember that they ever had the same opinion about anything.

"What do you want me to say?" she asked calmly.

Newt frowned slightly.

"I want you to tell me that you're not just an uncontrollable childish troublemaker. And that you didn't really mean to encourage people like Chuck to run into the Maze and try their bloody chances. He's just a bloody kid, Moon! If he tried it, he'd be dead in seconds."

Well, yeah, that sounded terrible, when he put it that way, but then again… What was the other option here? Play it safe?

"You wanna stay here, Newt? Don't you wanna get out?"

"'Course I do!" he snapped. "But there are other ways - organized and careful ways in which nobody would be hurt! What you did was pretty bloody stupid, don't you see that?! And yeah, it could feel _brave_ and _gutsy_ or whatever, but how about you give it some thought next time? Making us feel bad because we're afraid to die, are you for real?! If one of those seventeen idiots decides that you were right and they'd run in there - it would be on your head!"

Newt cared. He cared for each Glader here and he wasn't willing to risk the life of even one of them. Moon knew that, but she couldn't appreciate that even slightly at that moment. Because of the way he said it... he had practically admitted that he wasn't among those seventeen, who had stood at her side and were against her punishment. He blamed her, just as Alby did. With a sinking heart, she turned away from him, getting ready to leave, but he grabbed her wrist. When she looked at him, his eyes burned right into her.

"Why do you keep trying to make me your enemy?" he hissed at her in anger.

"I should be asking that!" Moon retorted coldly. His question made her angry, she tried to pull away, but he didn't let her.

"I'm on your side! On all of your sides!"

"I'd like to believe that, Moon," Newt said honestly. "I'd like to believe that you are not playing just for yourself."

"You gonna have to trust me then," Moon said firmly.

The blond boy stared into her eyes for a while.

"I should trust you, huh?… And what about you? Do you trust me?"

Moon blinked because it was quite surprising for her that the answer was so clear. Since the first second he jumped in the Box to get her out, he's been there for her. They might not have the same opinions, they might be arguing, and he might seem unpredictable to her sometimes, but in the end of the day, Newt was there to wake her up from her nightmare every single night. The Glade was filled with strangers… but she knew him.

"Yes."

Newt blinked as well. He was taken aback as if not expecting that answer at all and, therefore, he couldn't prepare his response.

"Well," he said a little sharply. "Okay. Alright… But that includes no secrets, no lying or breaking promises!"

"Fine," Moon replied calmly.

"Fine!" Newt let go of her, still watching her carefully. "So now we bloody trust each other! Surely everything will be shucking peachy from now."

"I can't imagine it otherwise," Moon said, quite amused.

She kind of wanted to laugh - Newt looked almost offended.

"And since we don't lie each other - care to tell me what was with your stealthy try leaving me alone by the open Gate?" she grinned.

"A little test," Newt admitted. "Minho was watching you through the window the whole time. And if you'd tried something… Well, let's just say that things would get really ugly."

Moon frowned at his little threat.

"So, you were just sitting there, waiting if I make a move? I'm glad that you can spend your time so productively."

"And it was also decided that you'll be a Med-Jack."

"What? And how did you come to that?" Moon chuckled.

She found quite amusing the image of Gladers arguing about her punishment when suddenly one of them got out of the crowd and suggested she became a Med-Jack in front of Winston and Gally and all the people who had surely been discussing the different ways they could make her life a living hell when Alby gave the inevitable verdict.

"Winston was waving his arms around a lot and Alby noticed the scar on his shoulder," Newt explained the less amusing truth. "Quite impressive. Clint was for it, so we agreed that it will only benefit you and make you busy so you won't have time for your crazy klunk."

"Geez, thank you," Moon rolled her eyes.

"In the free time, you'll continue to help Zart. He kinda insisted on it."

Moon frowned. Gosh, how she hated gardening. That little goblin, when she get her hands on him…!

xXxXx

That opportunity presented itself to her the next morning. She was with Clint barely half an hour when Chuck ran into their hut, reporting that she was needed in the garden. Moon had walked there, fists clenched. She stood in front of the Keeper, crossing her arms.

"What is your problem, shank?"

Zart poked his head out from behind the bush, his face amused.

"What?" he chuckled. Yeah, other Gladers found her using their slang funny as well.

"I was free! Finally one day I didn't have to work hard as a mule in burning sun, and you shucked it, man! You gave me half an hour. Half an hour! That's it? You don't have enough other slaves to torture?" Moon threw up her hands to show him the remaining five boys on the field, if he happened to not notice them.

The blond gardener stood up and brushed off his hands.

"Don't ever walk away from unfinished work. That's my rule number one."

"A rule? Well, that completely changes the situation," Moon gasped, her voice sarcastic. "Since I clearly follow rules _all the time_ …"

The black haired girl wanted to continue in scolding him, but by the corner of her eye she saw movement in a space of Glade, which was mostly empty - right by one of the backup storage. When she turned there, she saw a group of Runners. Fervent thoughts quickly started to fill her head...

"Hey, Sun! Are you even listening to me?" Zart waved his hand in front of her face and returned her to reality.

"Not really," Moon said. She honestly had no idea that the Keeper has spoken at all, let alone to perceive some words.

She nodded towards the group of Runners which was not far away from them. "Shouldn't they be in the Maze? I thought their day off was yesterday."

"It was," Zart said. "They needed to discuss some things with Alby and Newt, but due to the fact that some crazy shank climbed the shucking wall," the boy gave her a meaningful look. "the rest of the meeting moved on this morning. They will run after the lunch."

Moon turned to them again. This was an opportunity that wouldn't repeat itself. Newt wasn't here. Neither was Alby. And Runners were not far from her. That must have been fate. Clearly, she remembered that Minho had defended her yesterday… sort of. Ben was most likely on her side. Adam and Kail… well, she could only dream about their affection. So it was two and two. Moon smiled wryly.

 _No risk, no gain._

"I don't like the look on your face, I really don't," Zart frowned, looking at her suspiciously.

"Five minutes and then I will dig in the dirt all day. Deal?" Moon offered with a smile.

Zart didn't look convinced. He began to shake his head.

"What are you gonna do, ask them to take you in? That's not how it works, you can't just get around Newt and Alby, they'll kill you! Moreover, it will never work, not when it's Minho, who has the final word."

"What about him?" Moon asked curiously.

"Let's just say he's not the easiest person to deal with."

"Good that," she said, smiling and feeling as her blood started to fill with adrenaline. "Easy bores me."

And, followed by Zart's disbelieving look, she headed directly towards them. When she was closer, she realized that they are quietly discussing something, taking care of their tools. Minho was sharpening his long knife, Ben was sewing a hole in his backpack, Kail and Adam were repairing a long iron spear. Ben was the one who looked up from his work when she approached them. His eyes quickly flickered behind her back, as if looking for someone, his face full of expectations.

"Hey," Moon greeted them with easy tone.

Minho looked up from his knife, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"You're that chick who climbed the Wall." _Yeah. As if you could mistake me with the dozens of other 'chicks' running around here._ "What do you want?"

 _You know what? Why beat around the bush?_

"I want to be a Runner," Moon said.

Kail and Adam placed their disbelieving looks at her. Ben's eyes widened in shock. The muscular Asian boy just snorted with a skeptic smile.

"Yeah, right." His eyes lowered to his knife again. "We aren't going in that shucking Maze for romantic walks, you know, Tiny?"

Why was everyone so obsessed with her height?

"You aren't? What are you doing then, seeking the way out of this mess? Well, I guess that would work too…"

Ben chuckled softly, but the Keeper didn't look very amused.

"Not gonna happen, Greenie."

"Why not?" Moon raised her eyebrows. "And you should have a reason, otherwise I just take you for a pathetic sexist."

"It's because you're weak," Minho shrugged as if that was the most casual thing to say. "You're irresponsible, impulsive. You can't take care of yourself - therefore you are a nuisance and I'm not interested in carrying you on my back every time you get tired."

"Oh, wow." Moon serious didn't expect him to have a list. She did her best to stay calm even though his words hurt her pride a lot. "And you know all those things about me just from looking at me?"

"I got a talent for this kinda stuff, girl," Minho winked at her.

"Or maybe you're just an arrogant jerk," Moon said with a sweet smile. "Either way, one of us is definitely right."

To insult whoever you want to favor you was probably not the best strategy but she couldn't help it. His words reminded her one of her first conversations with Newt, when he had personally told her, that she couldn't be a Runner because she was just a small and stupid girl. She had to get ahold of herself quickly.

"But why to jump any conclusions?" she spoke up again with light tone. "Here's why I should be a Runner… Well, for the start - I'm probably faster than all of you." _Most likely not._

Minho and his group of buddies laughed shortly. Particularly Ben looked really amused, as if his favorite program just came on and the popcorn was ready.

"You seriously think you're faster than me?" Minho asked as if he couldn't believe someone ever believing that. "Stop embarrassing yourself, okay? It's kinda sad…"

"So…" Moon drawled out. "I take it you're scared?"

The great Runner narrowed his eyes.

"What?"

"You are a bit, aren't you?" Moon smiled. "You never saw me run and if there's even the slightest possibility of me being faster than you - and I'm talking way faster… what would you do? I get it, I wouldn't wanna risk it either."

She saw how Minho's eyes flashed.

 _Great… I'm already in your head._

"Fine."

Moon blinked.

"Fine?"

"Let's sort it out. Now," Minho decided and when she didn't reply immediately, he gave her a smirk. "Who's scared now, huh?"

"Not me," Moon scoffed.

"Yeah? You sure you don't want me to call Newt?" Minho asked mockingly. "Maybe you could hide behind him, just like you like to do?"

"Oh, I'm sure," Moon nodded. "But we should probably get it on."

"Why is that?"

"Because he's walking right here."

That was a truth. Newt was heading towards them from the Homestead and he didn't look cheerful.

 _That bastard Zart gave me up!_

"Good that." Minho pointed to the Gate. "A race. If you reach the Gate before me - no shucking way that's gonna happen - you win."

"If I win, can I be a Runner?" she checked.

"You're not gonna win," he chuckled at her naivety.

"That's yes?" Moon pressed.

"If a shucking meteor fell right on my head and I would lose… I'd think about it."

"Dude, you don't joke about things like that," Kail said uneasily. "And… wouldn't you be dead in that case?"

Minho ignored him, looking at her.

"What, you changed your mind?"

"I'm kinda under pressure right now…" Moon sighed heavily.

 _I've got to win. There must be a way!_ "Will you give me a head-start? I'm a girl after all…"

"Sure, why not?" Minho smiled. "Two seconds it is… You're lucky that I'm in a generous mood today."

 _But I can't obviously do it fairly… That means…_

"Great!… Wait." Her entire body stiffened. Her eyes widened in terror as her finger pointed somewhere in the middle of the woods, right behind the Runners.

"Is that a Griever?"

All the Runners quickly twisted their heads around and Moon took off. The air whistled around her with incredible speed and frantically running, she couldn't believe that they actually bought it.

"Hey!" She could hear Minho's voice behind her. He put two and two together pretty fast and she had no doubt that he was right behind her.

She ran as fast as she could. The feeling of being chased totally overwhelmed her and she was fully focused on just one thing. Run. The Gate was within the reach. Moon heard heavy steps behind her, her heart was drumming in her head, she was almost there. Five more steps, three...

She set her foot on the level of the Gate in the same time when Minho yanked her down. He probably tried to catch her but misjudged it and they both fell between the door on the dusty ground. Moon tried to catch her breath, which was quite difficult when the taller boy was half laying on her. Somehow she managed to turn on her back.

"I made it!" Moon exhaled triumphantly; she didn't even care about stinging pain she felt. Her elbow was scratched pretty badly and her back was undoubtedly bruised. Minho was obviously a gentleman and gentleness was his essential feature.

"Barely," he spat, his face twisted in pain. The Runner probably hurt himself too.

 _Well, serves him right! And who's the irresponsible one now?_

"What do you mean?! I was first! You didn't catch me!"

"First of all - I did! And second - you were cheating!"

"So what? You're playing fair play in the Maze? And get off me, Huge! I think you broke every single bone in my body!"

Minho started lifting himself off her, disbelieving expression in his face.

"Are you shucking kidding me? You landed on my damn arm! And nearly crushed it into shucking dust!"

She glared at him.

"How dare you, you little-"

"What the hell's going on here?!" Moon knew who was screaming and she didn't even have to take a look. Alby stood at the border of the Gate, his glare piercing right through her.

* * *

 **Big thanks to everyone who followed/favorited and especially reviewed! :) You guys really made my day!**

 **Anyway, the next chapter will be out soon, so until then - have a wonderful week!  
Oh, and reviews are love! **


	7. 50 Gladers

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.**

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **50 Gladers**

* * *

 _"What the hell's going on here?!" Moon knew who was screaming and she didn't even have to take a look. Alby stood at the border of the Gate, his glare piercing right through her._

 _xXxXx_

"Just a little race with this tiny currish cheater," Minho shrugged as if nothing had happened. The attitude of the big boss didn't unnerve him one bit. "Careful there, Admiral, don't burst a vein."

Alby ignored the comment as if he hadn't even heard it. Moon was quite tempted to run away when she saw the look on his face. She knew how it must have looked from his perspective - like she had decided to escape from the Glade and Minho had just happened to stop her. Alby had probably come here determined to finish her off with his own bare hands.

"You've been a shucking pain in my ass since you showed up here, I hope you know that, girl."

Moon pulled herself to her feet, trying to dust off a little.

God, was it just her or did Alby liked her more and more?

"I do, sir," she replied obediently. "Just one thing, sir. That shank over there just broke the rule number 3." Moon showed him her bloody elbow.

 _If I'm going down, buddy, you're going with me!_

"You're unbelievable!" Minho exhaled in shock.

"Will he get a day in the Pit?" Moon asked, smiling right at the Runner. When she finished her sentence, Alby's hand shot forward and grabbed her injured elbow.

"Ouch! That wasn't necessary, sir!"

"Shut the shuck up!" he growled at her, dragging her away.

Well, Moon didn't want to push her luck with Alby anymore. But the Keeper of the Runners - that was an entirely different story. She turned at him as Alby was pulling her away, and pointed a finger at him.

"I beat you! Remember that till your last day, Minho-boy - I'm a girl and I just kicked your ass!" she called loudly.

She couldn't see his response because Alby jerked her so hard she had to quickly turn around to not land on her face. The Glade was full of perfect gentlemen lately. On their way, they passed Newt. He and Moon both opened their mouths to say something, but Alby silenced them both:

"Not a word, either of you!" he barked, and they obeyed him, although she could tell from the look on Newt's face it wasn't normal for Alby to order him around.

Moon turned to him once more. He watched her, a very serious expression on his face. That scared her. _For God's sake, what is Alby going to do with me?!_ Moon started to be nervous. He pulled her away from the others, directly into the woods, and his grip was iron strong.

"It was just a silly race, really," she spoke up cautiously, trying to save it. "I really didn't mean to, um… upset you." _Again._

Alby was silent and Moon didn't dare say anything else. At least not until he pulled her deeply into the forest. An eerie silence had fallen - no birds, no leaves rustling in the wind. The trees around them had been cut back crudely, and from the earth sprouted a lot of homemade crosses. It was a graveyard. Moon started to fight against his grasp and Alby unexpectedly let her go. She made a few steps back, turning away from that view. God, that smell! It was horrible.

"Look," Alby said pointedly. "It's not very nice, huh? Just look what happened to those who didn't respect the rules."

Moon didn't turn around, she didn't want to watch. She took another step back and began to frown, hardening her expression as a wave of indignant outrage swept through her.

"I didn't do anything," she snapped at him furiously. She didn't deserve this lecture! Not now, anyway!

"Maybe not today," Alby replied casually as if it didn't matter. "But what about yesterday? And the day before? And before that?"

"You need to learn to let the past go," Moon retorted bitterly. "I really am trying to behave according to your stupid order!"

"Try harder!" Alby growled.

Moon didn't respond to that. She knew that this was her limit, she couldn't do anything more. She had spent seven whole days in this hellhole, trying to avoid going stir crazy from claustrophobia, helplessness and her insane curiosity - what more could have they wanted from her?

"What was that with Minho?" Alby asked after he calmed down a little.

"Oh, so this time you're interested in my version?" she asked with a poisonous tone.

"Quit being a brat and spill it," the leader said impatiently.

Moon looked away from him. She was really close to just start sulking.

"I told him that I was faster. He wanted to test it and he lost."

"He said you cheated," Alby pointed out.

"A win is a win," Moon shrugged.

Alby's dark gaze hardened; he folded his hands on his chest.

"Why did you say that you were faster than him?"

Moon looked up at him. Her look was clearly telling him not ask a question to which he already knew the answer.

"You wanted to convince him to make you a Runner," Alby stated, his voice cold.

"And what if I did?" Moon asked challengingly. "Is that also banned? Some other amazing rule?"

"No, but the choice isn't just up to him," Alby explained a little bit calmer. "What do you thing would happen if the Keeper decided everything like that? They'd just let all of their friends in. The Council must decide who becomes a Runner."

"So it is another rule. Awesome…" Moon sighed and leaned her back against the tree.

This was a dictatorship, she knew it was. She had tried to get into the Maze following their ways, but they were kept blocking her. And the more things they forbade her to do - the harder it became for her to stay there any longer. When she looked at Alby again, surprisingly, he didn't seem angry. He seemed quite relaxed as he ran his hand over his head.

"Yeah, ya probably think I'm real strict and stubborn about the rules, but let me tell you something, Greenie, it wasn't always like this. We had dark days…"

Moon blinked. The way Alby uttered the last two words chilled her. She had a bad feeling, but she had to ask.

"Dark days?"

Alba nodded, leaning against the tree across from her.

"Do you know how many Gladers are in the Glade right now?"

"Thirty-five."

"That's right, yeah. But you're actually the fiftieth Greenie that's come up here in total." Her eyes widened. That uncomfortable feeling was stronger and Alby continued.

"This place was a big mess two years ago. We had no order, no rules, only a sort of agreement. Everyone was going in the Maze whenever they felt like it, and some of them never came back. Then the chaos expanded, people started to panic, fled in the Maze like maniacs, staying there through the night. Even Newt almost died in there."

Moon's heart clenched as she remembered how she talked about the Maze with him for the first time. She remembered the look in his eyes.

 _ **"Trust me, you don't wanna know."**_

"We lost fifteen Gladers. And most of them were just like you," Alby said, his voice laden with sorrow. "They didn't see any sense in the order, they felt above it. And every one of them paid for it."

"I'm not like them," Moon felt the need to defend herself.

"Yeah, I bet you think so," Alby chuckled cheerlessly. "But the truth is that you're not unique, Moon, you're not special. If we hadn't stopped you - you would have run into the Maze on your first day. You would have got lost and died just like them."

It was terrible to realize that Alby was right. It was terrible to found out that she actually owed them her life.

 _ **"Don't be so bloody stupid…"**_

Newt kept telling her that. And she really had been.

 _Okay, but that was before... Now I know better._

She was willing to listen, she was willing to obey, but she still wanted into that freaking Maze!

"But we had stopped you, because that's how it goes here," Alby said firmly. "We won't leave anyone behind, unless it's absolutely necessary. We will always protect our family."

Moon had almost jumped over that word. She barely knew them, hardly believed them. It sounded so... wrong.

"I'm not-"

"Yes, you are!" Alby interrupted impatiently. "It doesn't matter how much you don't want to be part of it, it doesn't even matter how much I don't want you to be. Once you came up in that Box, you are one of us. So open your eyes and finally realize that we are all in this together. Remember that."

Moon couldn't find any words, so she better stayed quiet. After this, she wouldn't be able to forget even if she wanted to.

xXxXx

When she walked into the Med-Jack's hut, Clint was sitting at the table, reading. When he looked up, his eyes automatically fell on her bloody arm. He sighed, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose wearily.

"What have you done?" he asked.

"Ask Minho," Moon muttered indignantly, sitting down on a deck chair.

Clint got up to his feet and in a second he had a bottle of disinfectant in his hand. He approached her and began to treat her like an expert - quickly and gently.

"As a Med-Jack you should avoid all unnecessary casualties," Clint told her calmly. "You're here to nursed others, not yourself."

Moon looked at him curiously.

"Won't you ask what happened?"

"I have a strong feeling that I don't want to know," Clint said and carefully bandaged her arm with gauze.

At the same time, Newt came in the hut. And he didn't look angry, so Moon quietly exhaled in relief.

"Ben told me what happened," he said, then he turned to the redheaded boy. "She claimed to be the fastest in the Glade. In front of Minho."

Clint rolled his eyes at her wearily.

"What is wrong with you?" he asked and she could tell he really meant the question.

"He can be provoked so easily," Moon chuckled, remembering the flames that she had ignited in his onyx eyes.

"Yeah, of course he can! He's a bloody impulsive hothead!" Newt said.

"And he's a sore loser," Moon pointed out.

"He said you cheated."

"Yeah, I bet he said that," Moon scoffed, but after meeting Newt's intense gaze, she sighed. "Alright, fine. But a win is a win!"

Newt just shook his head and gently clutched her wrist to have a better look at her injury.

"It's his fault, you know?" Moon said when she saw him frown.

"Yeah," Newt drawled out. "Somehow, I doubt that."

A shadow appeared in his eyes and that only reminded her Alby's words. She couldn't stop thinking about it for the rest of the day. She didn't think of Minho, nor the fact that she would probably never be a Runner. She was overwhelmed with the fact that Newt had nearly died in the Maze.

She wanted to know the whole story, but she really didn't feel like asking. You couldn't just ask things like that. But it was so… odd. Because, what would the Glade look like without Newt? Who would have pulled her out of the Box, if not him? How many days would she have spent in the Pit if he hadn't been there to guide her? How could she even… be here without him?

Suddenly, everything made a lot more sense. All his obstinacy about the Maze, when otherwise he seemed to understand her perfectly - he knew how dangerous it was, he'd experienced it. He was terrified of it and Moon couldn't blame him. Although she was willing to risk her own life to get there, but who knew how she would act face to face with certain death?

Moon was thinking about it at dinner when they were sitting on a tree stump near the fire. Her constant looks couldn't be escaping his keen senses for long.

"Do I have something on my face?" he asked, an easy smile on his lips.

Moon didn't say anything, just smiled and drank a little more of strong herbal tea. Frypan was a genius at this stuff - she mentioned her headache once and he immediately came up with the solution. And unbelievably - it was working.

"Wow, Alby had to shuck you up pretty well," Newt noted carefully.

"Well, yeah," Moon admitted. "I have to admit that I started to see things from your point of view... and damn, it's not pretty."

"Tell me about it," Newt rolled his eyes, but then his face turned somehow serious. "But… it works both ways, ya know? I also can… get why you're acting like a bloody lunatic."

Moon chuckled.

"Wow. So now we trust each other… and understand each other! Nice!"

Newt just grandly shook his head.

"Trying to have an adult conversation with you is so bloody pointless."

Suddenly the big shadow fell on them as someone stepped between them and the fire. Minho stood over them, both of his hands clutching his harness.

"Leave me alone here with the tiny one for a minute, would you?" he turned to Newt.

"Actually, I'm not sure I should," Newt said reluctantly. "Two idiots like you two alone together - that's a deadly combination."

"It's gonna be okay," Moon said. "Minho-boy surely came here to apologize for his behavior and he's just too shy do it in front of you, because he has to play the big tough guy."

"Apologize?" Newt almost burst out laughing. "Have you even met this guy?"

"I don't have all shucking day, Newtie," Minho raised an eyebrow. "I'll return her back in one piece… Maybe."

Moon frowned, suddenly not exactly keen to have a conversation with the Keeper of the Runners at all.

"Whatever," Newt said resignedly and stood up, moving closer to the others.

The Runner sat beside her; his face had a solemn expression that Moon didn't like one bit.

"Firstly - stop saying everywhere that you beat me, you shucking shuck-faced cheater!"

"Don't be sore about it," Moon tried to soothe him playfully. "Someone wins and someone loses, it is how it is."

Minho turned his deep black eyes to her; luckily he had playful sparks in them.

"Say that again and I'll throw you over that shucking wall and straight into a Griever's mouth."

Moon wisely swallowed her comment about that he shouldn't claim such a thing, and then be disappointed again, if he couldn't do so. Minho was probably satisfied with her silence.

"And the second thing... You won't be a Runner."

Moon felt as if the air around her had suddenly cooled. The decisiveness and finality with which Minho said it… it felt horrible. She'd never become a Runner. She couldn't, not if the Keeper was against it.

"Nothing personal, Greenie," Minho said. "You're kind of annoying and amusing at the same time. And I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy it when you were playing ninja on the wall, but no. The thing is, you're a troublemaker and unpredictable. If I can't control you, I won't take you."

Moon bit her lip, staring into the flames.

 _No, it can't end like this… It just can't!_

"Give me a chance," she said to Minho. "One chance, that's all I ask. From the moment I had walked out of the Box, I wanted nothing more than to go into the Maze and find the way out. Take me with you, I'll listen to you. I swear. You say go, I'll go. You say run, I'll run. You say jump off the wall-"

"Words," Minho snorted, shaking his head. "Do you really think I'm that daft? You're a liar and a cheater. You can't convince me that you won't flee as soon as I let you go behind those walls."

"I won't!"

"Well, I don't believe you."

Moon turned her gaze to the fire. This was the end. Minho wasn't Newt. He going to go back down or see reason. He was determined and she couldn't do anything about it. She was just an unnecessary complication for him and he wasn't interested.

Minho got up after a while and left without a word. Moon at that moment lost all sympathy to him. She didn't feel like she would ever want to speak with him again. Or even see him.

Newt came back after some time. Moon just kept staring vacantly into the flames, he sat down next to her; she didn't even look at him.

"I guess he didn't come to apologize after all," he said, but the tremor of amusement in his voice betrayed him.

Moon couldn't help but think that somehow, he was actually happy about this. Without a word, she got up and went to sleep.

xXxXx

 _ **When she opened her eyes, she was looking directly into a milky white ceiling. Her vision was foggy at the edges and it was really hard to breathe. Slowly she glanced down and she saw that her hands were connected to cannulas. Without thinking, she jerked the needles out with her stiff fingers. Tiny droplets of red blood ran down her arms to her white hospital robe and began to stain it.**_

 _ **Moon stood up abruptly. The dizziness was running out, and she knew she couldn't stay here. She had no idea where she was, or what was happening, but the feeling that she had to get out of here quickly was too strong. Door. A little ray of joy beamed in her heart. It was unlocked.**_

 _ **The corridor was long, bright, and it seemed that it led to infinity. Moon completely lost track of time. She could have been walking only a few seconds or a few minutes, or even hours. Every moment she turned, checking if she was being followed, but the hall was empty. And she still couldn't see the end of it.**_

 _ **Moon heard voices and gently pressed herself against the wall. Not far from her, she saw what looked like a glass room whose door led straight into the hallway. Slowly she approached them, not daring to peek inside. She closed her eyes and listened.**_

 _ **"-one reason why not to continue with the experiment. The Maze Trial: Origin is an unquestionable success," said a cool female voice.**_

 _ **"What are the latest data?" a male voice asked.**_

 _ **"In Subject X there has been an increase of 5.3%."**_

 _ **There were a few laudatory murmurs. Moon had no idea what they were talking about. Thoughts in her head were messed up; she had no clue where she was and what was happening. Her instinct screamed at her to run away as fast as possible, but her legs didn't listen to it.**_

 _ **"I propose to launch the Maze Trials version 1.0. Concierge services, we now have three sections - let's fill them up and get to work."**_

 _ **"We will use the distribution of the original plans?"**_

 _ **"Certainly. Fifty subjects for Maze A. Forty others for Maze B. And the remaining mix of twenty-five for Maze C."**_

 _ **Moon almost couldn't breathe. The woman kept repeating it: The Maze, the Maze, the Maze... And every time she said it, her body engulfed itself in terror. She had to get out of there, right now!**_

 _ **The moment when she finally got herself to move, an unknown hand was firmly pressed on her mouth. Her heart skipped a beat when she, paralyzed with fear, turned her eyes to who caught her. It was a boy. He was slightly taller than her with dark hair, dark eyes and a blank expression on his face. He lifted his free hand to his face and put his finger on his lips. The young girl was watching him with wide open eyes.**_

 _ **"This wasn't a smart move, Moon," the boy whispered softly. At that moment, she recognized him.**_

 _ **And she was terrified.**_

"Moon!"

Moon sat up upright, breathing frantically. She felt a cold sweat running down her back and it was as if that boy had put his hand on her only a second ago - she still felt it on her face.

It took her a few seconds before she realized what had happened and then she turned to Newt. He was kneeling beside her, a worried expression on his face; he had obviously been trying to wake her up for a while.

She heavily exhaled.

"This isn't the only Maze."

* * *

 **Thanks for the support!  
Don't forget to let me know what you think! :) **


	8. How We Met

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.**

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **How We Met**

* * *

The stream of water was constantly and relentlessly ramming into her face. It wasn't warm; they didn't have hot water in the Glade. It was tolerably tepid, but even though Moon stood below it for several minutes, she didn't feel even a little bit fresh.

She was the last one to shower: it had been decided a long time ago, on her second day here. Therefore, she could sleep longer, waiting until each Glader left for work and then the bathroom was just for her. That was why she was so surprised when she heard the door creak. Her entire body stiffened, and for a moment, she thought that she just imagined it, overly paranoid.

"Who's there?" she called out loudly, nervous.

"It's just me," replied a familiar voice with an English accent.

Well, it didn't calm her a bit that it was 'just' Newt. His voice sounded so close - he had to be just on the other side of the curtain. Moon felt her blood rushing to her face and she pressed closer to the opposite side.

 _For God's sake…!_

"And that's all you're gonna say?!" she hissed at him, her voice jumping a few octaves higher. "Look, I get that you lived just with boys for years, but even you have to see how out of place this is!"

"I know, I'm sorry," Newt spoke again, his voice actually guilty. "I didn't want to, but I was kind of… worried."

"What? Why?"

"You've been here for over an hour, Moon."

The black haired girl blinked. She had probably lost track of time... but what did it matter? They were just subjects. Oh, God, the more she thought about it, the more she hated that word. A subject. Part of a test. One of three mazes, which _they_ were watching. She didn't think she had ever wished so badly that her dreams had been part of her imagination, but she knew they hadn't been.

"I spoke to Alby," Newt said from behind the curtains.

Moon suppressed a groan. Of course, he did. How couldn't he? He had just run to the great leader and told him everything.

"He wants to talk to you."

 _Well, that's just peachy._

"When you're done, come to the Med-Jacks' hut."

 _Great. Just great._

"Moony?"

"I heard you. Give me five minutes."

When she finished her sentence, she plunged her head under the cold running water again.

xXxXx

Moon couldn't even look at them. She couldn't look at Zart, who worked in the garden, as always. She didn't even look back after Chuck. She completely lost her appetite for breakfast, which Frypan had so throughly cooked for everyone. Subjects. Each one of them was just another expendable part of some twisted experiment.

She wanted to scream. Run. Break things… just do something! The helplessness was driving her insane! Only at the idea that right now someone was watching her every move made her blood boil. Why was she the only one who remembered? Was that their doing? Was it like a slow torture? Well, it was very effective, she had to give them that…

Moon shook her head. She was fed up with questions without answers. She opened the door to the hut and to her surprise, the red haired wannabe doctor stood directly in front of her. She cocked her head to one side, puzzled. What was Clint doing here? Well, yeah, where else should he be, but shouldn't this be a bit of a private meeting of those who knew about her memories? Moon turned to Newt.

"Yeah, we told him," he replied to her questioning look.

"So, I'm forbidden to talk about it, but you can actually blab it to anyone you want without having say that to me in advance, do I understand it correctly?" Moon asked. "No offense, Clint," she added.

"Yeah, that's quite right," Alby replied simply.

Moon glared at him.

"Is this some other rule?" she snorted contemptuously. "I'm starting to lose track…"

"Don't push it," Alby warned her, dark eyes flashing.

Moon shrugged and sat down in the chair. Her world was dominated by mysterious people behind computers, so what did it matter if she had an arrogant boy watching her every move all the time on the top of it?

"So," Alby spoke up again, a bit more relaxed. "Newt told me about your dream."

Moon looked up at him.

 _What, you want me to repeat it?_

Yeah… she was in a cheerful mood today.

"Did you remember anything else?" the leader asked.

"No," Moon replied.

 _I think that for one night it was quite a lot of information..._

"Have you ever remembered something during the day?"

"No."

"So, you just get memories back when you sleep," Alby stated.

"Does this have a point?" Moon asked, somewhat annoyed. _What the hell is this, an interrogation?_

"You bet it has," Alby nodded. "Book a spot in your calendar, Greenie, because you will be remembering the whole day."

Moon blinked in puzzlement. Then she looked at Newt. Then Clint. And then she finally realized why they met up in the Med-Jacks' hut. The thought made her shiver.

"You can't be serious…" she exhaled in disbelief. No, no, no... She must just misunderstand. This was not happening.

"Why not?" Alby asked with the lift of an eyebrow. "Your memories are, so far, the only clue we've had in three years. It must mean something and we have to use it. You have the chance to be useful for a change…"

"B-but..." Moon was completely shocked. "It won't work! No, if it's artificial sleep-" she tried to find words to fight back, but all speech seemed to have deserted her.

"We will never know until we try," Alby said simply and took a step toward her.

Moon jumped to her feet and backed into the corner of the hut. Then she turned to Newt, hoping for help.

"You agree with this?"

The blond boy looked thoughtful and a little uncertain.

"It's worth a try. It's not like it's going to hurt, M. I don't see why this is that bad."

Her heart sank.

"Clint?" she turned pleadingly to the last boy.

"What's the big deal, Moon? Would you prefer an all-day dig in the ground in Zart's blissful company?" he asked, phlegmatic as always.

What was the big deal?! They were planning to put her to sleep in the middle of the day for God knew how long! There was something utterly terrifying about it and also… familiar. Moon didn't intend to be totally powerless in a society of people who she didn't trust at all. She turned to Newt once more.

"You can't do this to me," she said, the anxiety filling up her stomach. "It just… It's wrong!"

"Easy there, Moon," Newt raised his hands in the air in a placatory gesture. "We won't do anything against your will. We're not evil, you know."

Alby's face was clearly saying something else.

"But we thought that the longer you sleep, the more memories you gain back. I thought you'd be… willing to try it. What if you really remember the way out?"

 _Way out?_ Moon had never even thought about that. Could the way out of the Maze be somewhere in the deep-buried memories of hers? A map, a clue… anything…

"Enough of this drama. You're gonna do it," Alby said, his voice uncompromising, arms folded across his chest. "You have to. You run around here all day, preaching to us that we're cowards for trying to settle down to survive and not doing anything for our salvation. And then you're not even willing to take a nap for a few hours? That's called hypocrisy, girl. Should I take it that it was all just empty talk?"

She had to give Alby that. He really knew how to hit the nerve. Moon bit her lip, trying to control herself.

 _Actually... what's the worst that could happen? No, no, no... Let's not go there._ She glanced around the three boys. It was just them. No one else would know about it… Everything was going to be alright. It was just like going to sleep. So why did she feel so scared?

"How long?" she asked Clint quietly.

"Around ten hours," the redhead said factually.

It was practically the whole day. She will be lying there unconscious all day.

"Let's get it over with," she said dryly.

Moon slowly lay on one of the cots. The anxiety squirmed uncomfortably in her stomach, and she scolded herself in her mind for being such a coward. Alby was once again right - she couldn't refuse to do this after all her rebellious speeches. Even if it was extremely unpleasant.

The worst part was that she felt so vulnerable… And maybe even worse was that the feeling was so damn familiar. But… they weren't alone. There were others like them - she knew about two other mazes at least, depending on how old that memory had been. There were thirty-five Gladers here - how many had survived in the other groups? Everything what she could find out in her head would be useful…

Newt sat down on a chair next to her and Moon turned her head towards him. Alby and Clint stood by and were discussing something to do with medication.

"Everything's gonna be okay," the blond boy said and his voice was probably meant to sound confident.

Moon gave him a grim chuckle.

"You say that a lot."

"I'm an utter optimist," Newt said with a shrug. "Things could always be worse. We're not doing so bad here."

She examined his face. _Is he lying to himself or to me?_

"It could be a lot better," Moon retorted cynically.

"Pessimists," the blond snorted and shook his head.

Clint approached them with a large syringe.

Moon frowned worriedly.

"I don't like needles..." she moaned.

"Christ, you're supposed to be a doctor!" Clint rolled his eyes at her and leaned towards her.

"If you've miscalculated, Clint, and I won't wake up, I'll come back as a ghost to hunt you," Moon threatened as he injected a sedative into her arm. "And I'll be good! All of your freckles will fall off from fear!"

Clint sighed wearily. "Fall asleep already."

It began to work very quickly. Moon felt as if a thick fog was starting to flow through her veins. It was cool and dense, and her body was heavier every second. She watched the ceiling for a moment, letting herself be carried away by that feeling, but then her eyes found Newt. She was suddenly so glad that he was there. She was... safer that way. Calmer. Until she saw a cloth strip, which had appeared in his hand somehow. The boy bent down to her and strapped her to the bed.

"What are you...?" Moon tried to ask, but her mouth wasn't obeying her anymore.

"It's okay. It's just to make sure," Newt's smooth voice rang clearly through the dense mist.

"Don't." It was the last thing Moon said before she plunged into the darkness.

 _ **"Next."**_

 _ **Moon winced. The screen in front of her was incredibly bright, and her eyes were aching from it; she had stared into it for several hours and hated every second of it.**_

 _ **"Do another one," he said again, his voice rough. The rat-faced man was sitting next to her, closer than she would have liked. She could feel his hot breath on her cheek.**_

 _ **"No. I don't want to," the black haired girl replied defiantly, feeling her insides watering with cold fear when she saw the smile on Janson's face. It never meant anything good when he smiled.**_

 _ **"We've already been through this, Moon," he said with amusement, as if he found her childish defiance funny.**_

 _ **"I'm not a thing," Moon hissed back. She didn't belong to them! "I want a break."**_

 _ **"No breaks. You know what's gonna happen if you don't listen."**_

 _ **Moon bit her lip, trying to overcome the fear.**_

 _ **But nothing would come of it - she just wasn't brave enough…**_

 _ **"Solve another maze," Janson commanded again.**_

 _ **Moon raised her eyes to the screen once more. A vast labyrinth covered the entire surface. She put her trembling finger in the middle - she was always supposed to begin in the middle. She moved her finger across the cold glass; the walls of the maze were changing arbitrarily in the meantime. They were closing in front of her, reshaping, disappearing. Moon got an electric shock every time she hit a dead end. As she did right now. Discharge came out of the screen into her hand and spread to her entire body. She caught her breath for a moment, trying to ignore the iron taste in her mouth. The negative motivation was, according to them, very effective...**_

 _ **"I hate you," she whispered softly, her voice bitter.**_

 _ **Janson just smiled. "You'll thank me one day."**_

 _ **xXxXx**_

 _ **Annoying beeping devices woke her up. She felt strong pressure on her chest and in her head, but it was too hard to open her eyes. She tried to lift her hands, but she couldn't. They were firmly tied down, her legs likewise. With growing anxiety, she realized a strip of fabric that was also around her waist.**_

 _ **Desperately, she finally opened her eyes, but could see nothing but the white ceiling. The device kept beeping and an uncomfortable feeling of absolute helplessness spread through her body like poison ivy. She couldn't move. And then she couldn**_ ' _ **t breathe… Moon tried to fight the handcuffs, but they were too solid. Didn't let her move even an inch. She felt bitter tears filling her eyes, the anxiety was crushing her lungs and she was gasping for air. She was sinking deep into panic…**_

 _ **"Shh," came a soft voice from the right.**_

 _ **Moon fearfully turned her head in that direction. Next to her, on another bed, lay a blond boy. He was in the same condition as she was - tied down with strong restraints. He was pale and looked very tired, but his chocolate eyes sparkled with life. And he was young, so young. He could be maybe twelve years old.**_

 _ **"You're not alone," he said in a soothing voice with a thick accent.**_

 _ **Moon blinked, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Yet the pressure on her chest eased. His words brought her an immediate relief. She wasn't alone here. He was here with her.**_

 _ **"Why are they doing this?" she whispered huskily.**_

 _ **Why? How could they? Who gave them the right to treat them like this? They were just children… What did they do to deserve this? The boy lying next to her didn't seem to have any more answers than she did.**_

 _ **"I don't know," he breathed heavily, his silky voice bitter. "But they'll pay for it… I'm sure."**_

 _ **Moon wasn't so sure. She wasn't even sure if there was any justice left in this world… How could this happen? Why?**_

 _ **Her thoughts disappeared as soon as she heard new mechanical sounds. The machine on her left side began to move and she froze when she saw one of the iron arms stretch over her body, casting a menacing shadow over her.**_

 _ **Startled, she turned to the blond boy, but he didn't look surprised, just… sad. He couldn't help her… he couldn't do anything. He tried to reach out his hand to her, but the handcuffs around his wrists were as strong as hers. Moon tried to do the same thing, but every inch was like a mile. They failed to grab hands, but after all efforts they finally managed to entwine their little fingers. And though their muscles were painfully taut because of it, neither of them was willing to withdraw their hand.**_

 _ **A long thick needle just pulled out of the iron arm device and Moon stifled a scream of horror. She tried to break free from the bondage, and failed again.**_

 _ **"Look at me," the boy spoke again in his calm, smooth voice.**_

 _ **Moon obeyed him, tears in her eyes. Her finger, which was clutching his pinkie, trembled.**_

 _ **"It will only hurt for a while," the blond boy said. "And it'll be over soon, I swear. Just look at me."**_

 _ **The cold needle entered her skin, entering deep into her abdomen. And it was going farther and farther. Moon cried out in agony, closing her eyes as she felt the needle pass right through her. She was clutching the little finger of the boy she didn't know like a rescue rope. She felt like that one thing was keeping her sane. The stabbing pain in the center of her body was spreading, overwhelming her…**_

 _ **"It'll be over soon, just hold on," the boy said again, his clear voice trembling. "Hold on…"**_

"Moon..."

"Moon, wake up!"

"Open your eyes! Come on!"

She had no idea what was going on, or whose voice that was. Her head weighed a thousand stones and her eyelids even more. Someone was shaking with her, but she couldn't get herself out of that thick fog; she was drowning in it.

"MOON!"

That loud scream stuck in her head like a shard. With the rapid jerk, she opened her eyes, but the world around her was just one big smudge. She felt hands that were clutching her shoulders. Someone was leaning over her, but she couldn't focus on him.

"Thank God, for Christ's sake..." the voice breathed with relief.

After some time, the world stopped to curl and she recognized the face.

It was…

"Ben!" The unmistakable smooth voice with an English accent. Newt. Newt was there. Where?

"What are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" The Runner was shocked, letting go of her shoulders. "What are you guys doing?!"

 _Guys?_ Moon blinked, the Med-Jacks' hut started to fill with people. Her head felt like full of broken glass. Yes, she remembered what was happening. And she knew that she was dreaming about something, but those images were quickly fading, disappearing in the dark. She was forgetting fast…

"I just went here for some bandages because Minho wasn't willing to bring them himself, and I found-"

"Damn you, Ben! It was an in-and-out easy task! How long will I have to wait, dude? What is so hard on- What the hell?!" The bulky figure of the Keeper of the Runners was added to the already large crowd in front of her bed.

"I thought she was dead! She was hardly breathing!" Ben shouted, still upset.

Moon finally managed to focus properly. The tree original organizers of this magnificent plan stood beside each other, peering over, but no one offered any explanation. Newt studied her face little anxiously, Clint looked as if he rather wouldn't even be there and Alby was staring at her, the clear question in his eyes. He wanted to know if it has worked. He wanted the answer.

Moon was trying to breathe out the pain and the pressure in her head. Then, a wave of resentment to the leader swelled inside her. _This was his damn idea!_

He was the reason, why she was so messed up right now and he didn't even bother to fake some consideration! Without much of a thought, she shook her head on him to let him clearly know that his master plan had failed.

"Untie me," Moon exhaled weakly to no one in particular. She just wanted to get rid of the belt, which was digging into her stomach. Ben reached after it immediately and freed her.

"Would one of you shanks kindly explain me, what the hell is going on here?!" Minho frowned.

"She woke up too early," Clint said, more to himself than to others. "She wasn't supposed to do that, at least for another hour or two."

Ben stepped away from the bed, turning to his Keeper.

"I went in here for the bandages and Moon was like-"

"Your version is known, shuck-face!" Minho interrupted him impatiently.

Moon couldn't be less interested in this situation. Shouting only multiplied her headache; she had to get out of here. She slowly sat up and tried to get on her feet carefully. But she barely got into an upright position, and the world spun with her. If weren't for Newt's arms which caught her in the middle of the fall, she would probably have ended up on the floor.

He pulled her back onto the bed, his eyes carefully examining her face. Those chocolate eyes… she had seen them in a dream, she was certain. She had dreamed about him! But the images were blurred and her head hurt so bad!

"Moon," Newt spoke up to her softly. "Are you-?"

"Moon?"

"Maybe you should lie down..."

"I'm still waiting for that shucking explanation!"

Moon put her fingers to her temples. The voices blended together in her head.

 _Shut up. Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up..._

"Shut up!" Alby yelled. "Out! You two - out of here!"

For the first time in forever, Moon felt sincere sympathy for him. The leader took the Runners from the hut and only Newt and Clint stayed inside.

"What's wrong?" The blonde demanded anxiously.

"My head's gonna explode. Definitely. Any second!" Moon moaned.

In the corner of her eye, she saw how Clint moved quickly to the cupboard with drugs and when he approached her, she pointed her finger at him.

"Don't you dare come near me!"

The redheaded boy blinked.

"Those painkillers-"

"I don't want any more damn drugs!" she snarled at him, squeezing the bridge of her nose with her fingers as another wave of pain went through her head.

"Frypan... Yes! His tea.I need his tea!"

Newt started to nod.

"I'll get it for you." He turned and wanted to rush out of the hut, but Moon grabbed his wrist in the last second.

"I'm going too."

Newt examined her carefully.

"I don't think it's a good-"

"I don't care! I'm going too!" she said emphatically.

It was very strange. When they left the hut, it was already dark and Moon would have sworn that she had fallen asleep only two minutes ago. She knew that evenings were getting warmer, but she was very cold. Therefore, she valued Newt's warm arm wrapped around her waist, preventing her from falling.

The dinner was underway. Several Gladers could not notice their comic duo trudging into the kitchen and Moon could only guess their thoughts. She noted Minho's frown and Ben, who was quickly telling something to other Runners.

 _God, they gossip like girls…_

Newt knocked on the kitchen door.

"No! No seconds, you gluttons! You know the rules!" came the angry Frypan's voice.

"It's me, Fry," Moon said. "Let me in, please, it's urgent!"

The door opened within two seconds. The cook looked at Newt, then her and his eyes widened in shock.

"Damn, girl," he drawled frypan. "What's this shank done to you?" Yeah, Moon had to look really great.

Newt frowned. "Why should I-"

"Long story," she said heavily. "Could you make me your special tea? Please, please?"

Frypan generously nodded and invited them inside. The kitchen was warm. Moon was perched on a chair and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to quell the pain. She heard the boiling water, and when her eyes opened again, Frypan was frowning at her.

"You're pale like death," he muttered. "What the hell were you doing?"

Moon's head hurt too much for her to come up with a plausible answer. _Ask your damned leader,_ was on her tongue. Fortunately, Newt was faster.

"A strong allergic reaction," he said quickly, too quickly. "Clint gave her some vitamins and she passed out for a few minutes, no big deal."

His eyes were quickly glancing from Frypan to Moon and back again while talking. It was pretty clear that lying wasn't his strong suit. Moon would probably have laugh if she weren't so miserable.

"Jesus," Frypan shook his head and went back to the preparation of his miraculous tea.

Moon drank three cups before the pain became at least bearable. And although she was awake at most three hours this day - a mortal weariness was hitting her mercilessly.

"You suck at lying," Moon snorted in amusement, when Newt led her back to Homestead. Her dizziness was gone, and besides the incredible sleepiness she felt quite alright now - yet she didn't tell him to give his hand away.

"Yeah... I guess. But don't think you're some kind of master yourself," Newt retorted.

"I'm better than you," she said surely. "It was painful even to watch you. I can't believe that Frypan actually bought it. I only waited for stuttering, really..."

"Easy there, yeah? It wasn't _that_ bad…"

His last words came to her in melodic form, like a lullaby. And it was like he was in a great distance, not right next to her…

"M?"

"Huh?"

"Are you really falling asleep standing up?"

Moon blinked to wake up a little and she found out with relief that the Homestead was just a few steps ahead. Newt half-dragged her into their room and she immediately burrowed into the blankets. The blond boy climbed into the hammock beside her.

"You're not going to dinner?" Moon asked, leaning on the wooden wall.

Newt shook his head, strangely dejected.

"It'll be over soon."

It was that moment. That one sentence opened the door into Moon's mind and she remembered everything. She remembered labyrinth tests which Janson had forced her to do and Newt… How they met for the first time, about five years ago.

The memory brought tears into her eyes when she remembered how pale Newt had been, how were both tethered to their beds like criminals, how _they_ experimented on them.

Newt has noticed her tears almost immediately. His eyes widened in horror as he jumped out of his hammock and knelt beside her.

"What happened?" he asked uneasily. "Are you in pain?"

Moon didn't even attempt to wipe her eyes; she didn't have the strength to lift her hands.

"I... I remembered…" she sobbed.

Newt placed his warm hand on her back and started to stroke her soothingly.

"I don't get it... I thought it didn't work. I thought-"

"I'm sorry I lied..." Moon sighed heavily. "I didn't mean... I was afraid that… you would force me to go through that again, I'm so-"

"Moon," Newt said her name firmly. "Listen now. After everything that happened, I would never allow that. Do you hear me? Never." His thumb gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. "We never should have done that…"

"But you were right..." Moon said softly. "It worked."

"I don't care!" Newt snapped, suddenly angry. "I really can't bloody blame Ben for freaking out - you looked really awful! And you still do!"

"Thanks," Moon chuckled weakly. It was a nice change after so many hours in tension.

"What did you remember?" Newt asked after a while.

And the nice feeling was gone. Moon felt her eyes filled with new tears when she lifted her head to him.

"I remember... how we met."

She told him. She told him everything. Sometimes she had to pause because he couldn't understand her through her sobbing, but she told him every detail of it. She didn't know exactly when Newt pulled her into his arms. She rested her head on his chest and all she was able to perceive was the warmth of his body and his heartbeat. That was the most reassuring sound in the world for her right now. She couldn't see his face, so she didn't know how he reacted. But she could feel how his body stiffened and how the muscles on his arms strained.

"They'll pay for it," Newt said in his deep voice.

 _ **They'll pay for it,**_ his twelve-year-old-self promised.

"They'll pay for it," Moon whispered quietly before fatigue overcame her and she plunged into the darkness.

She woke up early that morning - her body had probably finally realized that she had slept enough for the next two weeks. Despite everything that had happened, she felt relatively calm. Resignedly. She wasn't alone after all...

And that mattered.

Her eyes turned to the blond boy, who was lying next to her and she had to smile. For the first time, her fingers weren't wrapped around his wrist. This time, he held her.

* * *

 **I want to thank everyone who favorited and followed!**

 **Reviews are amazing, so thanks a lot! :)**


	9. 30 Seconds Without Incident

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.**

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **30 Seconds Without Incident**

* * *

Moon was dutifully reading through a medicine textbook. Clint was instructing her about how to take care of burns - a long and monotonous dialogue. The black haired girl was basically just nodding the entire time, waiting for him to finally realize she didn't say a word the whole morning.

"You're uncharacteristically quiet today…" Clint said eventually.

Moon suppressed the desire to roll her eyes.

 _Well, you sure took your time noticing!_

"I take it that you're still upset about yesterday?" the redhead asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, how perceptive you are," Moon said sarcastically and turned the page, pretending that she was still paying attention to the book.

"Why are you angry with me?" Clint asked in confusion. "Why not Newt or Alby?"

"Because we're supposed to be a team, Clint!" Moon looked up at him. "We're working together, you're my freaking Keeper!"

"I am, but that's not how it works," the young doctor pointed out gently.

"I don't care - you should have told me that in advance. Isn't it suppose to be like the Med-Jacks against the rest of the world or something? Geez!"

Was this scene really necessary? Perhaps it wasn't, but Moon really wanted to get some kind of reaction from the annoyingly calm boy.

Clint looked at his watch with raised eyebrows.

"You've been a Med-Jack like five minutes and yet you're preaching to me about work ethics? You're really something else, Moon... "

The black haired girl snorted and went back to the book, her lips pursed.

"I couldn't have told you in advance," the redhead tried to reason with her. "It was decided about an hour before you came."

"Yeah, whatever," Moon said, without even glancing his way.

Clint sighed deeply. Moon listened carefully, but apart from the rustling of paper as he looked for something in a drawer there was nothing. Sighing, she gave up and resumed her work pretending to read the book. Then he came and stood beside her.

"I didn't think I'd use this so soon, but whatever…" He shrugged and put on the table in front of her something that she would never have expected. Her eyes widened.

"Is that a lollipop?" she gasped, her mouth agape. "Where the hell did you get it?"

"I sent a note into the Box," Clint said casually. "And now I give it to you as a kind of reconciliation gift. You are good… within your capabilities."

Moon lifted the candy from the table and looked at it in shock. She couldn't remember why she was so frustrated with Clint anymore, or why she thought that he was a heartless iceberg. He was, clearly, awesome.

"You're the best, Clint!"

The boy just rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, whatever."

The black haired girl chuckled, shoving it into her pocket.

"You can't accept a compliment, can you?"

Clint turned his back to her.

"As your Keeper, I order you to go back to work… or whatever you're doing while pretending to study."

Moon couldn't be upset by his indifferent tone. This Med-Jack had a heart and that was enough for her. Cheerfully, she returned to her study, when the door of the hut opened without a warning. Gally stood on the doorstep and his gray eyes immediately fell on her. There was a minute of silence.

"Clint," the Builder called with his gruff voice.

Moon jumped to her feet.

"I'm on duty today," she said, ignoring Clint's quizzical look.

"I suppose you want me to _do my part_ , don't you?"

Gally's cold eyes narrowed and he snorted. However, he didn't make a scene as Winston had done the other day. He sat down on a deck chair in front of her and held out his left hand. Two fingers on it were badly swollen, most likely broken.

Moon didn't have the same attitude to Gally as she had to Winston. Even though he was against her as well as the Slicer, he actually had a reason for disliking her. Winston hated her for her very existence, Gally, on the other hand, just couldn't stand her behavior and her total disregard for the order and that was different. He had at least tried to help her, in his own way. And it wasn't entirely his fault how it all ended.

"How did it happen?" Moon asked innocently, carefully taking over his arm to get a better look.

"That's none of your business, Greenie," Gally muttered coldly, watching her intensely.

Moon gave him an amused look.

"You don't like me much, do you?" she smiled angelically at him.

"And what an intellectual discovery that was," the Builder praised her with evident sarcasm.

The black haired girl turned to prepare some bandages with a grim chuckle.

"Let me guess... It's because I've tried to run away?"

Gally said nothing.

"Because I'm a girl? Because I don't follow rules? Because I climbed the wall?"

Still nothing.

Moon turned her face to him.

"Altogether?"

Gally frowned.

"I don't care that you're a girl," he said. "That's not a reason why you should be treated differently than any other Greenbean."

"What are you saying?" Moon blinked in surprise. "You can't be claiming they treat me better than you guys."

Definitely not. Alby had made her life a living hell from the moment she'd arrived in the Box, after all. How was that a special treatment?

"They shucking do," Gally insisted.

"That's just…" Moon didn't have any words. When was the last time someone just let pass anything about her? She turned to the redheaded boy, who was pretending that he wasn't listening to their conversation. "Clint!?"

He lifted his green eyes.

"I guess so," he said soberly. "From time to time…"

"Excuse me?!" she couldn't believe her own ears.

"If you weren't a shucking girl, the Pit would be your official dormitory," Gally added with certainty.

"Alright, fine!" Moon raised her hands in the air in surrender. "Forget that I asked... But I'm trying to be… better."

Gally snorted.

"I am!" Moon said loudly, and when she got no response, she turned for help to her Keeper once again. "Clint!"

The boy turned to her with resigned and slightly bored eyes.

"Two days ago you climbed the wall, Moon," he told her skeptically. "That's not exactly suggesting to anyone you're trying not to break any rules."

"You are not helping!"

"Okay," Clint said with a sigh. "I believe that you _think_ that you're trying."

Considering arguing, but coming up with nothing, Moon was left with no choice but to return to bandaging Gally's broken fingers. Carefully, she bandaged them and tied together. Then she raised her eyes to the muscular Builder.

"I'm not exactly planning to do anything crazy in the future, just so you know," she told him seriously. "I don't really enjoy the consequences."

 _Like, I don't know, Newt's death stare, dealing with Alby, spending ages bored out of my mind in the hellhole you call the Pit…_

"Whatever, Greenie," Gally said, apparently completely unconvinced. "I'll keep an eye on you." That was a promise.

Moon rolled her eyes. _Like everyone here._ "As you wish. You shouldn't overwork that hand. I suggest take a day or two off."

Gally jumped to his feet with a snort.

"As if those shanks could do anything without me..." he said and left.

xXxXx

Moon's hair tie snapped again.

Thankfully, things for her had arrived in the week's supplies, but oddly, the things relating to hygiene seemed to be of poor quality. The rubber bands barely held, the brush broke in her hand and what probably should have been a shampoo smelled like a chemical cleaner.

She ran away from the Med-Jack's hut in search of another hairband and was surprised to find that her room wasn't empty. Newt was inside, straightening out something what looked like a mattress.

"Where did you get that?" she gasped.

"The old warehouse," Newt shrugged with a smile. "You've been lying on the hard floor for a few days, so I thought I'd try to save your back…"

His thoughtfulness warmed her heart. That was before she noticed something significant. His hammock, that always hung in the corner of the room, wasn't in the corner. Actually it wasn't in the room at all. His hammock was gone.

"Are you sure you did it just for me?" Moon chuckled teasingly. "What a bold move…"

With amusement, she watched how Newt's cheeks stained red and his eyes flicked away from hers. Despite his obvious embarrassment, he stood up uncompromisingly and folded his arms across his chest.

"I was just thinking practically," he said. "We've been sleeping on the floor next to each other for last few days, but if you wanna make a big fuss about it-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy there," Moon raised her hands in the air. "It was just a joke! I was just messing with you!"

"Oh..."

For a few seconds, there was silence. Then Moon started to giggle. "You should have seen yourself…"

"Shut up," Newt rolled his eyes, running his hand through his hair.

Moon looked at her new bed. It was big enough for both of them, that was for sure, and looked comfortable. However...

"What if others find that we have a kingsize bed?" she asked.

Newt looked at her.

"They won't."

Moon thoughtfully put her thumb on her lip. Since she was sleeping in Newt's room, no one ever entered it. But that didn't mean anything. Anyone could come in here if they would need Newt for something…

"Would that be a problem?" Newt asked. "If they found out?"

Moon looked up to meet his gaze.

"I don't know..." she answered evasively. "Would it?"

It would. Definitely would. At first, she hadn't even thought about it, but now she saw it. She could see how it would look. How it already looked. God... What exactly were she and Newt actually doing? How could she take it so lightly? Why it was so easy and what did it even mean?

This time, it was her who began to feel embarrassed.

"I have to go… back to Clint," she said and quickly ran out of the room. She completely forgot about the hairband.

When she was outside, she took a deep breath. Did she really felt the warmth on her cheeks? They were trapped in the middle of some maze as subjects in some sick experiment, and she was blushing like a ten-year-old girl at the mere thought of sleeping on a mattress with Newt? When she had slept beside him for several days already?

 _Put yourself together, psycho,_ she told herself, and rubbed her eyes. There was no time or place for such a stupidity.

When she opened her eyes again, she caught a glimpse of Chuck nearby. He was literally festooned with wrapped hammocks and a variety of backpacks, and with each step some of the things fell into the grass. When he bent over for a sheet that tumbled on the ground, he dropped two more. Moon immediately headed towards him and managed to catch a couple of pillows tied together with a belt before they hit the ground.

"What's up, Chuck?" she smiled at him.

The boy's forehead was beaded with sweat, but he smiled anyway.

"The sky," he replied with a grin. "Well, actually… the dome."

"Nice one," Moon nodded appreciatively but then grew slightly more serious. "Why are you carrying all this stuff by yourself? There are other Sloppers, right?"

"Yeah, there are," Chuck shrugged. "But they do other things. They clean up after the Builders, compost stuff in warehouses, help to wash dishes in the kitchen. Frypan won't let me into his kitchen anymore. Once I was there and-"

"Let me guess," the black haired girl interrupted him with a grin. "You broke a couple of plates? Spilled the flour?"

"Not even close," Chuck snickered. "I ate his chocolate tart."

Moon sighed. "It was at least worth it?"

"Hell yeah, it was!" Chuck laughed. "So since then - I'm the sloppiest Slopper ever…"

Moon just shrugged.

"At least you can't go anywhere low. You hit the bottom, my friend," she said, grabbing a few things from his shoulders. "I'll help you."

Chuck's eyes widened in amazement.

"Really?"

Moon frowned slightly.

"Sure, I will… I'm not here just for doing crazy stuff, you know? I can also be calm and reasonable…"

"You can?" He looked at her a little skeptically.

"Shut up, Chuck! Ugh! Why do I even try?"

Together, they brought the things to a warehouse where the Sloppers on 'higher level' took them from them. Moon dusted off her hands, satisfied with the fact that neither Sam nor Finn were shooting murderous looks at her.

"What are you supposed to do now?" Moon asked curiously.

"Wipe the bathrooms," Chuck muttered.

"Uh, you're on your own at that one, kid."

Chuck didn't seem to be hurt by her comment. He plucked an apple from the tree and then sat under it, on the side facing the Gate, so the other Gladers couldn't see him.

"Are you slacking?" The black haired girl raised her eyebrows with a smile.

"Yep," Chuck smiled back. "Wanna join me?"

"I thought you'll never ask," Moon chuckled and sat down beside him. Then she actually thought about her work. It had been quite a while since she had left the Med-Jack's hut.

"You think Clint will tell on me?"

Chuck shrugged.

"Dunno. I can't really figure that shank out… He's not a big talker."

"He's definitely not," she said, happy that someone shared her opinion.

"So," Chuck drawled out. "Moon-boon, what's your plan?"

Moon frowned at the nickname he had apparently given her and only then realized what he had said, and her eyebrows shot up.

"My plan?"

"Yep. You're still running from here, right?"

"Right."

"And still taking me with you?"

"Sure, kid."

"So?"

So? What was actually her plan? Moon haven't even thought about it yet… The former plan had been to become a Runner and find a way out. Minho had shucked that one perfectly, and she had been so distracted with her dreams lately that she didn't know, what to do next. Anyway, why had she tried to convince Gally that she would follow the rules earlier? They would not let her into the Maze, but she was definitely going in there… She started to feel quite torn apart about the whole thing.

"It's true that I haven't made any progress for a long time," Moon said thoughtfully.

"That's questionable," Chuck noted.

"What?" Moon blinked. _That was kinda big word you used there, kiddo. I'm impressed._

"People are gossiping about yesterday... Ben is telling stories about how you were in the Med-Jack's hut drugged as shuck. People have different theories about what happened because Clint, Alby and Newt don't want to say anything."

 _Damn you, Ben!_

"What theories?"

"A lot of people think that you tried to escape again," Chuck grinned. "Been caught and they tried to put you to sleep."

Moon's mouth created a big shocked 'o'.

"I'm not a rabid animal!"

"Some say that you did it yourself as a suicide attempt."

"Seriously?!"

"And then there's a theory that you finally got your Greenie breakdown yesterday."

"That's just freaking fantastic..."

"Oh, and something about a strong allergic reaction?" Chuck shrugged.

Moon chuckled. So even Newt's hastily fabricated story had rubbed off a little. Well, Gladers were creative, she had to give them that. But that suicide attempt thing?! That was definitely Winston and his wishful thinking!

"I'm pretty sure it's none of them," Chuck said, turning to her, his eyes shining.

Moon gave him a wily smile. "Really?" _Clever kid._

"'Course not," he said. "It's about you, so it must be something special. Alby doesn't want to talk about it, so it's important..."

Moon had to surpass a desire to tell Chuck everything right there. She really wanted to; she would willingly risk another lecture from Alby because of it but… Chuck was young. He might play tough, but he was sensitive. Moon didn't feel like telling him horror's stories about her past and people who imprisoned them.

"You're quite a detective. I'm glad that I'm taking you out with me..." she said calmly.

Chuck narrowed his eyes.

"Are you trying to change the subject?"

"Is your name Chuck Holmes?"

"What?"

"Chuck!" called a clear voice. "I know you're behind that tree! I can see your bloody curls there!"

Moon's eyes widened.

"Is that Newt?!" she whispered.

For God's sake no… she couldn't see him, not now! Not after what she did in their room!

Chuck sighed pityingly.

"Yeah, that's him. How is it that he always knows when I'm slacking?! Shuck it!"

"Come on, Chuckie! The bathroom is waiting for ya!" came loudly again.

Moon put her hand on younger boy's shoulder.

"Don't tell him that I'm here too."

Chuck turned his mockingly solemn expression to her.

"I would never betray you, Moon-boon. We are a dream team, after all..."

Moon nodded gravely, mimicking him.

"Your sacrifice will never be forgotten."

"I do hope so."

"CHUCK!" Newt yelled loudly.

Moon sighed and leaned back on the tree.

 _When will this day finally end?_

 **Why? Are you looking forward to sharing a mattress?** she heard a velvet voice in her head.

Moon immediately blushed.

Maybe she was really going crazy…

xXxXx

Moon knew something was wrong when she opened the door of the hut. She could feel it in the air. She saw Newt stand a few yards away; he was quietly discussing something with Alby. She could tell from his body language that he was in a great tension. He was worried deeply about something.

"What happened?" she asked, approaching them.

"The Gate," Newt replied, his deep voice full of concern.

"It's about to close," Alby said in a serious voice.

"And?"

The blond turned to her his dark eyes.

"Minho and Adam haven't returned yet."

Moon immediately turned her gaze towards the Gate, a chill running down her spine. No one has ever survived a night in the Maze. In three years, not one single person. And maybe she didn't want to speak with Minho again, but she definitely didn't wish him death. He and Adam... it would be terrible if they got stuck behind the walls.

Moon headed to the Gate and the two boys followed her wordlessly. They weren't alone. Some of the Gladers were aware of what time it was and had begun to slowly gather around the walls. All of them ominously silent...

"Where are Ben and Kail?" Moon asked. Staring in the empty corridor overgrown with ivy have never been so depressing.

"In the Map room," Newt said quietly.

"Why aren't they here?" she didn't get it. "They must know that Minho and Adam haven't come back yet… Only they can go inside, so why don't they look for them?"

"That's against the rules," Alby said in a hard voice, his eyes staring into the Maze. "Nobody set a foot behind these walls in the evening, not even a Runner. Certainly not if it's not even a half an hour before the Gate will close."

Moon looked at him - was he serious? She turned to the other Gladers; there were definitely at least half of them there, but no one said anything against the words of the leader. She met Newt's gaze; he was ruefully watching her expression of disbelief.

"We can't risk losing anyone else," he whispered.

Moon was flooded with anxiety. She was glad that she didn't have a watch, counting seconds would have driven her insane. God, she hadn _'_ t even known them two whole weeks… She shouldn't feel like this, should she? She shouldn't… care so much.

"How long?" Zart asked, breaking the suffocating silence.

Alby lowered eyes to his wrist.

"Four minutes."

The words hit her like a punch in the face. Her anxiety was compounded; she started to rub her hands uncontrollably.

 _Come on... Please._

Then, a collective gasp echoed across the group.

Two Runners appeared at the end of the corridor, approaching the Gate quickly. But not fast enough.

Moon blinked. It was already quite dark, but she noticed that they were leaning on each other. And she wasn't the only one.

"Something's wrong," Clint muttered behind her; she hadn't even realized that he was there as well.

As they approached closer, they could see them more clearly. They weren't leaning on each other. Minho was dragging Adam's lifeless body as quickly as he could. Adam was unconscious.

"He got stung," one of the boys said in horror and Moon could feel how the entire crowd stiffened. She had no idea what it meant, but she didn't have time to ask. The sharp wind blew through the corridor and hit her in the face.

The Gate started to close.

Moon bit her lip as the Gladers started to encourage Minho with shouts. Why would no one help him? Adam was apparently too heavy for him because he started to slow down. Moon saw the blood running down his forehead. He was injured and wasn't even a halfway across. He couldn't make it in time. He stumbled and fell to his knees. That did it.

She could swear her body moved automatically. Adrenaline consumed her perfectly and she flew between the walls like a fired arrow. Minho managed to half-raise Adam from the ground and Moon grabbed his wrist. With all the strength that she found, she began to pull him back into the Glade. The walls were mercilessly narrowing around them. Moon could feel Minho pushing Adam's body forward on the other side, moving him faster and every muscle in her body was stretched to the breaking point. She was digging her nails into Adam's wrist, refusing to let go.

With one final pull, she dragged him out of the Maze and fell onto ground, exhausted. She quickly turned, checking Minho, who had barely pushed through the walls unscathed by the Gate. He collapsed on the grass beside her, desperately gasping for air. Moon looked back at Adam's lifeless body and turned him onto his back. His face had a sickly gray color.

At that moment, she realized there was ominous silence. When she looked up, the other Gladers were staring at her, eyes wide; some of them had even opened their mouths. Moon turned to Newt. His expression was similar, except that he looked absolutely horrified. But he said nothing. Nobody said anything. It was as if half of the Gladers had suddenly gone mute.

The black haired girl looked back at Minho, expecting to hear some of his clever remarks, but the Runner stared at her as if he couldn't believe what had just happened. Moon began to feel seriously uneasy because of all the stares.

"Clint," she spoke to the one she expected to be in a relative calm state. She was wrong. When her eyes found him, the redheaded boy stared at her, absolutely paralyzed.

"Clint!" she said again, more sharply. The Med-Jack flinched and stepped closer to her.

"We have to take him to the hut. Now!"

Several boys moved forward like puppets to help lift Adam. They laid him on the cot and the Runner began to tremble uncontrollably. Moon saw his veins standing out, stark green throughout his whole body.

"What happened to him?" Moon asked, horrified, putting her hands on his shoulders to keep him on the bed. When she didn't get an answer, she raised her eyes to her Keeper, whose expression haven't changed.

"Dammit, stop staring at me, Clint!" she snapped impatiently.

Clint blinked.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"I don't really care right now!" Moon shouted. "Focus, for God's sake! Adam is doing really bad and I have no idea what to do!"

Clint finally put himself together and rushed to the cot, pulling out a tape. "He was stung," he explained, while firmly tying Adam to the bed.

"What does that mean?" Moon asked frustrated.

"That the Griever got him," said a soft voice beside her. Newt had several strips in his own hands; he was quickly helping to bind the Runner down. "Nasty bastards... They sting you and you go crazy. We call it the Changing. Usually, it lasts around three days..."

"Usually?" Moon repeated. There was something horrible behind his words.

"Yeah," Newt replied, looking down at her. "Either you go through it... or you don't."

Moon gulped, looking at the unconscious boy; his skin began to blister. He could die? Just like that? The door swung open and Zart and Jeff dragged Minho inside. He was also unconscious.

"Jesus Christ, he was stung as well?!" Moon gasped.

"No," Zart answered quickly. "He just passed out. I think he has a concussion."

Clint turned on his heel and headed to the Keeper of the Runners.

"W-wait!" Moon stopped him in horror. _What about Adam?!_ "What are you doing? We have to give him something for the pain! Sedatives! Anything!"

Clint shook his head, his expression blank.

"That's not how it works. When you get stung, nothing like that works on you. You just have to endure it by yourself."

"Are you saying that there is absolutely nothing we can do?!" The black haired girl was desperate. Adam was still unconscious but began to moan in pain. He was obviously in agony.

Newt put his warm hands on her shoulders and started to slowly pull her away from Adam's bed.

"Nothing can help him right now."

He led her out of the hut and Moon felt dazed. Just a few hours ago, she was doing stupid things with Chuck. Now, she had ran into the Maze for the boy, who was maybe dying in there and she couldn't do anything about it.

 _ **"Do you have any idea what you've done?"**_ Clint's words hit her at that moment... She ran into the Maze. She violated the first rule… again.

She turned to Newt, absolutely horrified. But he didn't even look angry. Unexpectedly, his face was quite calm. Perhaps too much. His brown eyes carefully studied her face and Moon had a feeling that she would faint soon.

"It's really like thirty seconds without incident with you," Newt sighed.

Moon was looking at him, her eyes desperate.

"I swear I didn't plan it... My body just... moved."

Newt's expression didn't change.

"You are bloody crazy."

"I know..."

"The most insane person I've ever met."

Moon had no idea how she felt about it. Her emotions were absolutely paralyzed; they just gave up and left her alone. Newt looked at her and his face has never been so unreadable.

"I'm sorry," she said, trying to save herself.

"Are you?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know... Probably not."

"Don't say it then."

And so they stood there, looking at each other. Moon could hear her heart beating like crazy. She felt like on the verge of collapse.

"There will be a trial," Newt told her in a deep voice. "Your trial."

And her heart stopped. Consequences. So soon? She just wasn't strong enough to accept them, not yet, not ever.

"Alby's probably got all the Keepers gathered by now. We should go."

And at that moment, Moon's hairband snapped… again. It gave up as if it knew that its owner was going down and voluntarily committed suicide. How poetic.

"Are you afraid?" Newt asked with his smooth voice.

"Yes," Moon didn't see any sense in lying.

"Good that," Newt said, and reached out to gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You should be. But you're not on your own."

Moon blinked, feeling like she had misheard.

"What?"

"I'm not gonna leave you alone," Newt promised her. "I thought you already knew that."

Moon stared at him in amazement.

Was he… on her side?

He was definitely on her side.

"Let's go," Newt said. "I have a feeling this is going to be brutal…"


	10. Moon's Trial

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.**

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **Moon's Trial**

* * *

Just five minutes ago, the mere thought of a trial had made Moon dizzy. Now Newt was on her side and she was going to handle this situation with grace and with her head held high. At least that was what she thought...

When they entered the cabin, all the others were already there. Chairs were arranged in a semicircle and on each of them sat one of the Keepers. One chair on Alby's right-hand side was free. Newt gave her one last glance and went to sit on his seat.

"Sit down, Moon," Alby told her calmly, pointing to a chair in front of him.

Oh God, she was supposed to face them all? Suppressing the strong need of getting the hell out of there immediately, she sat down. Unsure, she looked at the other members of the Council and noticed that Minho wasn't there - he was probably still unconscious. Instead of him, Ben sat on his chair. Moon took it as a significant improvement.

"Throughout the process, you aren't allowed to say a single word until we tell you so, is that clear?" Alby asked.

 _For God's sake..._

Moon briefly nodded.

"Okay," Alby said, clearing his throat. "I'm starting this Gathering. Lately, things have been pretty… tense, and I think you all will agree when I say it all started with the arrival of Moon."

The black haired girl bit her lip. Suddenly, it didn't seem such a bad idea to jump off the chair and just run for it, away from this cabin as far as possible. She tried to catch Newt's gaze, but he was focused on Alby, eyes narrowed. Next to him sat Zart. Moon looked at him too, but the Track-Hoe didn't smile. She felt her heart starting to sink.

"The fact that she's a girl shouldn't mean that we'll treat her differently than any other Glader. And that's why we're here," Alby kept going. "Moon hasn't respected the rules from the very beginning. She's done all kinds of things that any sane person would have asked before doing - for example, she climbed onto the damn wall. She tried to flee into the Maze and she even ran inside today. Whatever the circumstances, we have to decide how to deal with her."

 _Run,_ Moon's subconscious whispered to her. _Run while you still can!_ The idea of spending more hours in the Pit was making her sick. And she was experienced enough to know that this was exactly where she was going to end up… or worse.

"Everyone can give their opinion, so-"

"I have something to say first," Newt interjected.

Moon tensed on her chair in expectation. Some of the Keepers looked rather disapproving, but Alby nodded.

"Sure, go ahead."

Newt took a breath and straightened.

"I don't deny that Moon may be behind a lot of problems. The situation in the Glade had certainly been more complicated with her presence, and she hasn't shown any desire to integrate with our community in any way. But…" Newt said and it was about time - Moon had been waiting for this little 'but' like a little kid who was waiting for Christmas. "What she did today wasn't any attempt of defiance." The blond turned to his best friend. "You enumerated all her sins, but that's not why we're here today. She was punished for her attempt to escape and we decided about the wall climbing situation on our last Gathering. Today we're here to decide whether to punish her for running into the Maze to save Minho and Adam."

During his long speech, Newt didn't look at her once. Until now. His bright eyes turned towards her and Moon felt like dancing. Newt was on her side. Newt was on her freaking side!

"Yes, she violated the rules," Newt said calmly. "But it seems to me like a bloody bunch of klunk to punish her because she wanted to help. Simply put - if she didn't do what she did, Adam and Minho wouldn't be here anymore. They wouldn't have made it."

"You don't know that," Terry said quietly.

"But I do know," Newt told him. "And I think that at the bottom of our hearts, we all know. If it wasn't for Moon, that bloody Gate would have crushed them both today."

Newt had finished and the cabin plunged into a short silence. Moon could see that his words had some strong impact. To Zart surely. Frypan was nodding gravely and Clint's eyes were lowered to the ground. It was hard to say what Alby thought about it because his face was as unreadable as always.

"You shouldn't be deciding this at all, Newt," Gally spoke up, his voice skeptical. "Clearly, you're biased."

All the Keepers looked at him and Moon blinked in surprise. Newt turned to the Builder with narrowed eyes.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me," Gally shrugged. "Come on, it's obvious she's got you on her side. Or do you think we haven't noticed yet?"

Moon's eyes widened and she noticed how Newt clenched his fists. Was Gally implying what she thought he was implying? The other Keepers nervously glanced from one to the other.

"You are preaching me about biased viewpoints?!" Newt growled at him angrily. "Of all the shucking slintheads, you?!"

Gally frowned.

"I'm just saying that you-"

"Shut your hole, Gally," Alby snapped impatiently. "I don't remember saying you should speak, so slim it."

Newt leaned back in his chair and Gally crossed his arms. Both boys looked pretty upset and the atmosphere in the cabin thickened even more, even though Moon didn't think it was possible.

"If that's all, Newt, it's time for the other opinions," Alby said.

"Whatever," Newt mumbled.

"Peachy," Alby rolled his eyes. "Winston, you start."

Moon was suddenly grabbed by a desire to start ripping out her own hair. _Are you shucking kidding me?!_

Of all the people who could start - Alby had to choose him!

Yes, it was her favorite Slicer, who was sitting on the edge of the semicircle and Moon could have sworn that when Alby picked him, there was a flash in his faded eyes. He had to been waiting for this opportunity a long time.

"Thank you, Alby," he said politely, clearing his throat. "Well… what Newt said was, of course, incredibly romantic but let's be realistic," Winston snorted, pointing his finger at her. "This girl has been doing whatever she wants since her arrival. No matter how many times Alby has tried to talk to her - she never obeyed, and I don't think that will ever change. I don't have to list what she's done - we all know the details too well, so I'll say just one thing..." The whole time, he spoke to the Council, but when he got to the last sentence, he looked directly into her eyes. "We were definitely better off without her."

Moon tasted blood in her mouth. She had to bite through her own lip to remain silent. She would never have thought that she could hate someone so much as she did Winston at that moment. She couldn't even look into the faces of other Keepers; she couldn't take her eyes off him - even though the look on his face made her blood boil. It was written plainly there how much he was enjoying this situation. He looked like his birthday had just come early.

"What do you suggest?" Alby asked calmly and she hated him for his casual tone.

"It's quite clear that she cannot be trusted," Winston said materially. "And she shouldn't be. Me and lots of others, we haven't been fooled by her little act. We are sure that she works for _them_. She's one of them. So we should treat her as such. Let's banish her."

Moon froze in the icy shock. He meant it… She just saved two of his friends, and he saw it as an opportunity to execute her. She would've probably totally lost it at that moment, but fortunately, there were some disapproving cries.

"What?!" Ben exclaimed angrily.

"You can't be bloody serious!" Newt hissed in disbelief.

"Banish her? She just wanted to help, you shucking slinthead!" Frypan was shaking his head.

"How can you say that, Winston?" Zart stared at him in shock.

"Silence!" Alby shouted. "Everyone here has a right to their own opinion!"

"And this is my opinion," Winston said; it seemed that the disapproval of his friends didn't even touch him. "I think that our best option is to banish her."

"No," came a firm voice. It came from the young man whom would no one ever, under any circumstances, expected speak up for her. It was Gally, the big Builder.

Moon suppressed a smile. _I've always liked you, Gally. You can be my hero, baby, you tell him!_

"That's not a good plan, given how much she actually wants go in the Maze. She could cause a lot of trouble there, we can't risk that. I say a month in a Pit and then we'll talk about it again."

 _You little piece of klunk, I'm gonna get you for this!_

"I'm writing down your suggestion, Gally," Alby said in a calm voice. "But since you're a shuck-face and you didn't wait for your turn - you won't say anything else!"

The Builder shot him a glare but remained silent. Moon was quite happy with Alby's decision, although she couldn't shake the feeling that Gally had already said everything important. One shucking month in the Pit... It wasn't that Gally didn't like her… He shucking hated her!

"Russell, you're next."

Russell, the Keeper of the Bricknicks, raised his eyes to her. "I think Newt was right and she really just wanted to help..." he said, somewhat uncertainly. "But that doesn't mean that she should get away with it just like that. The others are already pissed that she didn't get punished after she climbed the wall."

"Your suggestion?" Alby raised his eyebrows.

"Three days in the Pit, at least."

Moon tried to ignore the anxiety in her stomach.

 _I'm going in the Pit, I'm going in the Pit, I'm definitely going in the Pit…_ She tried to breathe it out and it really helped that the next one in the line was-

"Frypan!" Alby said. "What's your opinion?"

Frypan smiled from ear to ear.

"Moon is a shucking heroine, man..." he chuckled. "Newt's right - we would be a bunch of idiots punishing her for saving two of our own asses. What does it matter that she broke a rule? Minho is alive and if we're lucky, Adam will get through the shucking Changing too…"

Alby frowned at the Cook. It seemed that he would say something, but then he just shook his head and wrote down Frypan's opinion. Moon wanted to jump out of her chair and give Frypan a big hug.

"Clint."

Clint was on. Her Keeper, her friend, the boy who gave her a lollipop. But it only took one look into his freckled face for Moon to know that she wouldn't like what he was about to say - she could see it in his pale green eyes.

"She should be punished," he said quietly. "Yes, what she did was as brave as insane, but that's the point. Moon is doing those things all the time. That has to stop."

Her breath hitched in her throat.

 _Clint... Don't do this... Please..._

"I agree with Russell," Clint said and took a great care not to look at her. "We got those rules for a reason. Under any circumstances, no one can go in the Maze, except for Runners. Three days in the Pit, so she'll remember it, for her own good."

Moon felt as if he had just hit her. Had he really just turned his back on her? Had he really just suggested three days in that cold hellhole for her? How could he… how could he dare to say it was for her own good?!

"I don **'** t think so," Zart said and Alby nodded at him to speak. "At first, I thought she should probably be given some kind of punishment, but Newt is right. She rescued Minho and Adam, so we should forgive her this once."

Moon relaxed over his words a little, but it wasn't enough.

What was the score now? Four against two? And who was left in her defense? Ben? Even with him…

 _I'm shucked,_ she thought dejectedly.

At that moment, the door burst open and in the doorstep stood gasping Minho.

"Stop the trial, you shuck-faces!"

 _Well, someone knows how to make an entrance._

"Hey, Minho," Alby greeted him, a little annoyed. "I'm glad that you're alive and everything. But, please, shut the shuck up and wait for your turn. Then you can say something about her punishment since you're here."

"I don't give a klunk about her punishment," Minho snorted and slammed the door shut behind him. His onyx eyes landed on her. "I wanna make her a Runner."

Moon couldn't believe what he just said. But she felt like dancing once again. The other Gladers stared at Minho open-mouthed, probably wondering if the Runner had gone completely mad.

"Yeah, right," Newt broke the silence, cynical expression on his face. "It's quite obvious that you hit your head pretty hard, bro."

"I don't think we should take him seriously," Gally snorted. "A few minutes ago - he was unconscious."

"I'm dead serious," Minho said, crossing his muscular arms.

"Besides, I don't even have a concussion, thanks for your concern."

"You should think through that kind of stuff, before you say it at loud, slinthead," Alby shook his head. "I understand that it might seem like a good idea now, but-"

"I'm done with thinking," the Runner said and pointed his finger at her. "She just saved my shucking life and Adam's as well. And you're sitting here like a bunch shucking shuck-faces and deciding how to punish her for it? That's just sick, guys. I'm telling ya - she has it in her. She should be a Runner."

Moon suddenly couldn't remember why she didn't like Minho before. He was absolutely awesome! She felt the corners of her mouth twitching and had to fight an urge to smile like the sunshine. Newt's dark gaze that she met helped her in that way pretty significantly…

"Well, let's not jump a gun here," Clint spoke up carefully.

"Hell yeah, I'm in!" Frypan exclaimed excitedly.

"Me too," Zart said. "She wanted to go there for an eternity, right? She won't be doing crazy stuff like climbing walls when we provide her this. Let's try it out, let's make this exception."

"That might actually help," Clint murmured thoughtfully.

"Stop it!" Newt snapped angrily. "That's just insane!"

"Nobody becomes a Runner so quickly! She's been here like eleven days!" Terry cried out. "Are you guys seriously saying that we should just give her what she wants to stop her from acting so stupidly?"

"It's irresponsible and shucking stupid," said surprisingly calm Gally, shaking his head. "You can't really mean that, none of you!"

"I do," Zart shrugged.

"Yeah, me too," Frypan said. "What do you know about what I mean or not, Gally!?"

"Hey, that's enough!" Alby interrupted before Gally could answer. "Calm down again, shanks, let's discuss this! Minho, sit down. Ben - get out!"

 _No! Not Ben, please, come on!_

Moon just lost another voice in her favor.

"But…!" the Runner protested weakly.

"I said out!" Alby yelled at him.

Ben gave her a last sad look and ran outside the cabin. Minho nonchalantly sat on his seat beside Alby, his hands uncompromisingly crossed. He was clearly determinated. Moon could only pray, that the Council would not make him change his mind.

"I think it's rushed," Alby said, turning to Minho. "We talked about this, not so long ago, and you agreed that making her a Runner was a total bullshit!"

"I thought she was just messing around," Minho shrugged casually. "Now I know she means it."

"This is absurd!" Gally spoke up again. "We shouldn't even have this conversation! Minho got a hard blow right in the head and after today, he's too biased to make this decision!"

"What the shuck?!" the Runner scowled at him.

"You're simply making these bloody accusations out of nowhere, right?" Newt chuckled bitterly.

"No, it's true!" Gally said, his eyes narrowed. "He thinks that she saved his life, so he can't be objective! But that doesn't mean that we should have people like her running in the Maze!"

"I don't _think_ she saved my life - she saved my shucking life!" Minho growled at the Builder and shook his head. "It's quite sad that a tiny girl has bigger balls than any of you."

His last remark unleashed hell. There were a few irritated grunts; almost everyone responded to his provocation.

"What the shuck, you slinthead?!" Gally snapped.

"Come again, shuck-face?!" shouted Lucas, the Keeper of the Sloppers.

Even Newt was looking at him, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Minho, what the hell?!"

This time, Moon smiled openly. They were just boys, after all. Insulting their pride was ridiculously easy. With Minho's arrival and his statement, the Gathering had taken a completely different direction. She didn't feel so threatened anymore.

"Well, thank you," she said wryly, folding her arms. "But I think that I have bigger balls than you as well, Minho-boy…"

"No shucking way," Minho gave her a sly smile. "Wanna compare?"

"Shut up, both of you!" Newt snapped again, his eyes dark.

"Who allowed you to talk anyway, Greenie?" Alby wondered coldly.

"Um, sorry… I thought the show was over."

"It isn't!"

"My bad."

Alby gave her the look. The _you-are-going-in-the-shucking-Pit_ look. Moon slouched a little in her chair.

"This is getting us nowhere," Alby sighed and scratched his head. "Let's vote. Dash, you start. Should she be a Runner?"

"Hell no," the boy replied. "No offense, Greenie, but I don't think that girls should be running through the Maze…"

 _No offense, Dash, but you're an asshole and a sexist… So nothing personal, but I hate you._

"Okay," Alby nodded. "Gally?"

The Builder gave her a glare.

"I think my opinion is clear enough."

"Whatever," the leader rolled his eyes. "Terry."

The Keeper of Bugglers shook his head as if the answer was beneath his level. Moon felt her body once again overwhelmed with anxiety. The right side of the Council was full of her fans, apparently...

Alby looked at Minho and he puffed out his cheeks.

"I think my opinion is clear enough," he reported in a ridiculously deep voice, mimicking Gally.

Alby sighed.

"Although it's bizarre, I agree with Minho."

Moon opened her eyes wide open. Did he really just say that?

 _Let's dance! Let's dance! Let's dance!_

"Alby!" Newt turned to his friend in disbelief, frowning.

"I just trust that slinthead," Alby said simply. "If he really believes that she will be a good Runner, I'm willing to try it. He's the Keeper of Runners after all…"

Minho chuckled, obviously flattered. Newt just angrily leaned back in his chair.

"I say no," he said sharply. "This is not a bloody game. It's dangerous out there and she's not ready for it."

Moon didn't expect anything else. She couldn't. It had been quite obvious from her first day, that Newt didn't want her to go in the Maze. But, it still hurt… Newt had been on her side, for about three seconds. It had been a nice feeling, but it had gone fast.

Zart was for it. Clint nodded, hesitantly. Frypan gave her the thumbs-up. Moon was desperately counting on her fingers, and she wanted to cry. It wasn't enough. 5 to 5 and the last in line was Winston. Why was he the one who would decide?! Moon turned to him her eyes full of hatred. He looked at her too. He even had the audacity to smile! Moon wanted to jump on him and rip that smirk off his face, when-

"Yes," was his reply.

Her eyes widened in absolute shock. The entire Council turned at the acne-boy, but he just stared at her.

His eyes were saying one thing.

 ** _Go and die in there._**

Winston was willing to do anything to get rid of her. Moon tried in vain to remember what she had done so terrible to deserve this attitude.

"Congratulations, Greenie," Alby said a bit sarcastically and returned her back to reality. "Starting from tomorrow, you're a Runner."

Moon exhaled in awareness. She was a Runner. A Runner! Tomorrow morning, she was going into the Maze!

"All the fun ends here and now, you can be sure," Minho sneered at her. "I'm in charge of you now."

 _Damn._

But that wasn't the end, as she was kindly told by Alby. They still had to decide on her punishment. There were many suggestions, the countless different number of days in the Pit and Terry suggested that she should be a Slopper for two weeks. Alby listened to all the suggestions and then himself suggested something what made her blood went cold.

"WHAT?! A NIGHT IN THE PIT?!" This time, Moon couldn't stop herself.

To her surprise, Alby didn't snap at her. Her reaction probably just reassured him that he chose correctly.

"Do you have any idea how cold it must be in there at night?!" Moon gasped. _He can't be serious!_

"I do," Alby said. "That's why I said just one night. It'll be more than enough, believe me..."

"Wait...! No!" she tried to persuade him desperately. "Alright! I'm sorry! Next time - I won't do anything! I'll follow your rules, I'll let them die. I'll let them die, I swear!"

Minho chuckled at her words.

"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" he turned to Alby.

"Not really, no," Alby said firmly. "Who is against?"

Minho raised his hand. Zart and Frypan too. Newt as well, but he didn't look at her. Moon gulped. _Oh my God…_

"This Gathering is over," Alby said, turning to her.

"Sweet dreams, Greenie," he added tartly.

* * *

 **Ten chapters behind us and Moon is a Runner now! :)**

 **Hope you liked this chapter and let me know what you think about it!**


	11. Newt's Story

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.**

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **Newt's Story**

* * *

"You're a sadist, you know that?" Moon snarled at Keeper of the Baggers. Terry had been instructed to take her into the Pit, and she decided not to make it easy for him. "Every normal person would have told you that punish someone for having saved someone's life is simply twisted!"

"Yeah, you might get away with it, but your index is already full by now, Greenie," Terry snorted.

"This is not right..." Moon was trying to break out of his grip. "You know it's not!"

"I think it's hardly enough punishment for you," the Keeper replied and gripped her more tightly.

The black haired girl frowned and bitterness overwhelmed her.

"I wouldn't have done the same thing for you, you can be sure," she growled coldly.

The boy just rolled his eyes at her comment.

"God, will you ever shut up?"

"And what did you expect?" Minho approached them, standing in their way. "Alby didn't give her space to say something in her defense, he apparently somewhat forgot this little detail…"

 _Yeah… I wonder if he's done it on purpose?_

"Fortunately," Terry frowned. "Otherwise the Gathering could take days."

"Really funny," Minho retorted sarcastically. "Give me five minutes with her, okay? Alone."

The Buggler gave him a disapproving look.

"I have to take her to the Pit - Alby said that. Her sentence starts now!"

Minho looked at the boy with raised eyebrows.

"Didn't you hear what I just said, shuck-face?" he asked, his voice dangerously calm. "Get lost!"

Terry frowned like a thousand devils, but let go of her hand and walked away from them. Moon waited until he was out of earshot.

"That was impressive," she said.

Minho shrugged nonchalant, smiling.

"In three years, you learn how to build respect."

"Modest, I see," Moon snickered. "What now? Are you going to help me out of this mess?"

The Runner raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you a greedy one," he snorted in disbelief. "No, I'm here to make sure that our deal is still valid."

Moon blinked.

"What deal?"

"That you'll listen to my every word," Minho clarified. "You promised that you would do everything I say when we're out in the Maze, remember?"

 _Oh, this deal…_

"You mean that deal we made when you told me to go to hell? That is supposed to still be valid?"

Minho approached her a little closer, so she had to throw back her head to see in his face. Damn, he was tall...

"You wanna play with me, Tiny? Do you really think that I can't just turn around and go to say Alby that I've changed my mind?" he asked pointedly.

Moon's lips tightened.

"I just was kidding. Of course, that deal is valid."

"Promise me."

"I promise."

"Good that," Minho smiled contentedly and stepped back. "I'll pick you out of the Pit tomorrow."

He was about to leave, but then as if he realized something. Without a word, he took off his sweatshirt, and before Moon could do anything, he pulled it over her head. The black haired girl took a moment before she found holes for hands in that huge shirt.

"What the hell?" she gave the Runner a puzzled look.

"I don't want you to get cold in the Pit," Minho shrugged. "I take care of my Runners."

With that, he tousled her hair and turned his back to her. He took a few steps and then glanced at her once again.

"Oh, and thanks... for, well, you know what."

And he was gone.

xXxXx

Moon was grateful to Minho. When it got dark, she was even more grateful. And not, surprisingly, for making her a Runner, but for giving her his sweatshirt. Because let's face it - she felt as if it was her only protection against freezing to death. How could be so hot during the day and so cold at night? If the Creators controlled the weather - and, most likely, they did - they were definitely enjoying this far too much!

The black haired girl didn't expect that she would sleep under those conditions. Not only it was awfully cold, but the stone walls of the Pit were especially sharp that night. In addition, she had struggled with her claustrophobia since Terry closed her here and didn't forget to wish her a wonderful night. She was definitely writing his name on her list of the biggest assholes there right next to Winston's. Not to mention that Alby and Gally were there as well.

Moon had thought that it had been bad enough, but she had no idea what was coming when all the lights went out and the only thing she could see was the bars above her head. That unleashed real hell in her mind.

It was cold, but her lungs were on fire. They were crumpling up like a paper bag, and it was getting harder and harder to get air into them. The Pit was getting smaller and smaller every second… it contracted around her and Moon desperately closed her eyes, looking into her mind for some kind of distraction.

 _I hate you, Alby. I hate you, hate you, hate you!_

Suddenly, a light appeared behind her eyelids. Moon opened her eyes in surprise, staring at a lantern that had been placed in front of the bars. In another moment, she could see a shadow which sat down next to her prison and the weak light illuminated Newt's face.

"How are you holding up so far?" he asked in that smooth voice of his.

Moon openly exhaled in relief. She wanted to jump up and hug him tight and she'd probably even do it if the bars weren't in her way.

"It's amazing. I'm thinking that I'll move in here permanently," she sneered at him, keeping her face very unexcited.

Newt chuckled, moving the lantern closer to her. His chocolate eyes seemed black in the dim light and his blond hair looked gold.

"You don't have to be here, you know?" Moon said quietly, not being entirely sure why. Was it pride? Because it was quite clear to her that she needed him here. And, fortunately, to him it was too.

The little flame lit up his cheeky smile.

"So you would rather stay awake all night, Troublemaker?" he asked, amused. "That might not be so bad; you could think about your behavior..."

"Oh, so you're saying that I can't sleep without your presence, is that it?" The black haired girl snickered. "Cocky much?"

The warm black eyes turned to her, burrowing deep into hers.

"I think we both know what the truth is," he said, stretching his hand through the reed lattice.

Moon measured it carefully.

"You're not angry?"

"I am. A lot."

"So why…?"

Newt sighed.

"Let's not do this now, okay? This was a very difficult day..."

Moon exhaled in relief again, it sounded like the best idea ever. With both hands, she gently squeezed his. It was hot. How was it possible that he was so warm even when it was cold like this?

"Won't you have problems because of this?"

After all, this was supposed to be her punishment and Moon had no doubt that solitude was a part of it.

"I'm the second in command here," he said pointedly. "Nobody ever questions what I do."

"Oh, really, Mr. Important?" Moon chuckled. "So let me out of here."

"I could..." the blond said thoughtfully. "But I'm not sure I want to…"

"Sadist."

"Troublemaker."

"Arrogant."

"Fall asleep already."

"… Newt?"

"Hm?"

"Will you sing me a lullaby?"

"Hell, no."

"Rude."

"Don't start..."

Moon attempted to relax a little more. With Newt's arrival, it was easier to breathe; the pressure eased and fatigue came over her. She closed her eyes, trying to convince herself that she was in the Homestead and not cooped up in a small cold hole. She wasn't very successful.

"You're shaking," Newt realized, taken aback.

Moon opened her eyes just at the right moment, to see how his other arm stretched through the bars and touched her icy forehead. The black eyes anxiously studied her face.

"What's wrong?"

Moon quietly exhaled.

"I'm pretty sure I'm claustrophobic."

In the next second, both of Newt's hands disappeared. Moon blinked, startled, but when she heard the rattle of metal, she realized what he was doing. She gripped the bars in the exact moment when Newt wanted to open them. She met his confused gaze.

"Don't," she said firmly, although she didn't want anything more. "I don't want you to have problems because of me."

"I won't let you go outside," Newt said patiently. "I'll just open it."

"Still. Do you think Alby would be thrilled if he knew that you're making it easy for me?"

"I'll close it again, in the morning. No one will ever know," Newt said determinedly. Moon bit her lip; it sounded too tempting. "So what? Do you think I'm not stronger than you?"

Moon snorted and let go of the bars. Newt pulled them up and it was as if a completely different air pushed into the Pit. The black haired girl collapsed back to the bottom with relief. The Pit was really the worst punishment ever for her and those slintheads didn't even know it.

"Better?" Newt asked.

Moon turned her eyes at him gratefully.

"Thank you, Mr. Unpredictable!"

"You are one to talk," Newt snorted and sat back beside the lantern, leaning on her prison. "Why didn't you tell me that you were claustrophobic?" he asked, with a rebuke clear in his voice.

Moon frowned slightly. He was aggrieved, really? So he shared all of his secrets with her?

"Why didn't you tell me that you almost died in the Maze?"

She regretted saying that a mere second afterwards. Upon Newt's face fell a shadow and it had nothing to do with the lantern.

"Who told you that?" he asked, his voice deep and serious.

"Alby," Moon said carefully. "He likes to gossip, you know him."

"Alby doesn't know the whole story…" Newt said calmly.

Moon's heart was clenched, and she shivered slightly. He was so unnaturally calm, distant... cold. The expression in his eyes was telling her clearly that something terrible had happened...

"Do you wanna tell me about it?" she asked softly.

The blond boy gave her a glance.

"Are you sure?" he asked blandly. "Once you know it you can't un-know it."

At that moment, she was quite certain she didn't want to know. And that she would be very sorry to hear it. Yet she nodded, shifting closer to him.

"It happened two years ago," Newt said. He spoke calmly as if he was reading a book, as if he wasn't even concerned in the story. "We had another leader then, Nick. He was a great guy; everybody liked him. He was one of the original Gladers…"

"Original?" Moon blinked.

Newt nodded.

"When this whole thing started, they sent ten of us up at the same time. After that, they began to send Greenies one per month. Very few are left from the Originals now… Just me, Alby, Clint, Gally and Minho. Others… didn't make it."

The black haired girl imagined for a moment how it must have been in the lift when you woke up in a small cage with nine other boys. How could they even fit in the Box?

"Anyway, more and more Greenies were coming and none of us knew how to handle them properly. Nick was definitely the best of all of us. But we didn't have order or rules, so there was no way to keep scared little boys inside the walls. Therefore, Gally began patrolling at the Gate for some time; we were forcing them to remain inside. After a year, there was twenty-two of us and we were handling it. And then he came." Newt gave a grim chuckle, his eyes completely lost in the past.

"Who?" Moon asked cautiously.

"Mason," Newt said the name with bitterness and then he turned his dark eyes to her. "He was quite like your male version - the difference was that he was six feet tall and stronger than any of us - so we didn't manage to put him in the Pit his first day."

Moon wasn't sure how this story tends to Newt's injury, but even now she didn't like it one bit.

"He was on the loose, not willing to stay in the Glade one minute. Several others that we previously forcibly kept away from the Maze immediately joined his side. That day, when Mason came, there was a great fight. Neither of the Originals was willing to let those slintheads in the Maze so late in the evening, so we fought with them for their own lives. Gally, Alby and Nick finally managed to put Mason down, but two boys had slipped right through out fingers just before the Gate had shut. Needless to say, that they never came back." Newt paused for a moment, his eyes reflecting the pain. "Minho and I were the only Runners back then - all we ever found were their bloody rags."

They hadn't even got to his part of the story and Moon already wished that she had never asked. Two years ago... he had been a mere child. They had all just been children. No one so young should face something so terrible.

"That's obviously not the end," Newt said grimly. "We knew that sooner or later we had to let Mason out of the Pit and it wasn't big enough for all those shuck-faces who wanted to run in the Maze. To find the way out of here had become… like, everything to us, so Nick suggested to try to get out through the Box hole - something we already rejected the first week here, because when you throw a stone in there, you never hear it land. It was pretty desperate, but Nick insisted. He wanted to do something to save those idiots from a horrible death in the Maze. So we strapped him down and let him down. He didn't get lower than a few feet… " Newt swallowed, closing his eyes for a moment. "We don't know what exactly that was… but it looked like a sheet of steel. It shot off the walls and sliced him in half."

Moon pressed her lips together. She couldn't imagine how horrible it must have been to see your friend die and not being able to do absolutely anything.

"They killed him, just like that," Newt said, shaking his head as if he still couldn't believe it. "It was... so aggressive. They hadn't warned us, nothing. It was a clear message for us not try to run another way than through the Maze ever again." For a moment, they were plucked into a heavy silence. Newt lowered his eyes to the little flame in the lantern and fire was reflected in his dark eyes.

"That day a lot of shanks fled into the Maze," he said quietly. "Alby, Minho and I… we were supposed to find them and bring them back before sunset. But I didn't really give a klunk about anybody at that moment. Inside the Maze... You don't know what it's like there until you're in. That silence, the gloom... the pressure. You have to be constantly alert and focused, because if you lose your head just for a second and forget one stupid turn - you're bloody dead. I hated every second of it. But I had been running inside every day because I needed to find a way out. I still do. But... it's useless. There's no way out." Newt turned his gaze to her, his black eyes scorching. "I've told you at the beginning, and I meant it. I ran through every shucking inch of that bloody labyrinth and found nothing. Neither did Minho. Not a single hint, sign, nothing. Maybe I was hoping that they would release us... That after some time, they would open some doors as a reward for the fact that we didn't give up. But then I saw how they killed Nick, as if he was nothing, as if he didn't mean anything at all and I realized that it would never happen. That they'll let us die in here. And back then, I couldn't have lived with that knowledge, not even one another day..."

Moon's heart sank once she realized where this story was going. And suddenly, she was grabbed by a desire to cover her ears because she didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to listen to Newt's voice full of pain anymore. But she didn't do it… She couldn't, not when he was looking right at her.

"So I climbed the wall, just like you…" he said, a weak mirthless smile on his lips. "I didn't make it to the top, though… One bloody damn thing and I couldn't even do it properly. I jumped off, but my bloody leg got stuck in the ivy and slowed my fall. Alby found me before the Gate closed. He thought that I was attacked by a Griever and I never told him otherwise. I couldn't just tell him, that I wanted to leave him in this bloody mess alone. So he dragged me back and that's my story."

And it was over. Moon breathed heavily, thank God, it was over. She felt her heart painfully clutching and she wanted to cry. She was blinking rapidly to prevent it. She would never have thought that it was possible for her to hate _them_ even more, but she could. They were people who were killing small children in front of their friends. They were people who drove a fifteen years old boy to suicide. No, they weren't people. They were monsters.

"I bet that you wish you never asked," Newt chuckled grimly.

He was right. But Moon said nothing. She didn't know what to say. The silence was unbearable, but she could think of a single thing to say. Except perhaps one, but she would have to repeat that one over and over. _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..._

"That's why I don't want you to be a Runner," Newt added, his smooth voice bitter.

Moon cringed.

"I thought that we won't be doing this now…" she said weakly.

"We will," the blond said firmly. "I can't hold it anymore and you can't run, so too bad for you."

The black haired girl threw her head back and closed her eyes.

 _My God, it's not over yet..._

"What happens when you don't find the way out?"

Moon blinked in confusion, turning her eyes to him.

"What?"

"I asked, what happens when you don't find anything tomorrow," Newt repeated, his dark eyes hard. "And the next day and the day after. And then again and again..."

"Stop it," Moon said, frowning.

"No, you need to hear it," Newt said harshly. "So let me tell you what happen. You will be depressed. In a week, you'll be drowning in anxiety and hopelessness. And as time goes on, climbing the wall and jumping off would no longer seem like the worst idea..."

The black haired girl felt her eyes filling with tears. She turned her head away from him, trying to suppress it, but his every word was like a shard of glass stabbing in her heart.

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered huskily.

"Because I care about you," Newt said dryly. "That's why I want you to realize that you aren't strong enough and don't go inside."

"You're wrong," Moon turned back to him, her eyes full of defiance. "I am strong enough."

"You think you're different, right?" The blond boy sneered bitterly. "That you're gonna walk inside the Maze, suddenly remember everything and offer us twenty different exits, that's what you think? But what if that's not the case?"

"I-"

"What if you don't know anything about the Maze? What if you have never known? So many dreams and none about the labyrinth, am I wrong?"

"No, but-"

"What if you never find the way out?!"

"I never give up!" Moon cut him off loudly, her heart pounding in her head.

They were looking at each other, neither of them could break their gaze. Moon thought that she finally won this argument, but-

"I thought you gave up," Newt said with a softer tone.

"What?"

"When you ran into the Maze today. I thought you just lost it," he sighed. "That we said you couldn't be a Runner, and you couldn't bear it anymore. It didn't even occur to me that you would risk your life for someone you don't even know for two weeks. But you did..." He shook his head as if he still couldn't believe it. "You couldn't know if you could make it back, and you still did it."

"I knew I could make it back," Moon said firmly.

"But I didn't know," Newt replied in the same tone. "You ran in there to rescue two of my friends and I did nothing. I just stood there and I couldn't stop thinking about that I couldn't do it. That I couldn't let those shanks by themselves, not again…" He shook his head and his eyes returned to the flame. "If I ran in there, I would have never come back. You can always tell on the whole group when one of the Originals leaves… Me and Minho, we would have been gone and Alby would have gone crazy. Who would have helped him? Gally? I couldn't even move with that thought in my head... I was just a bloody coward."

"You're kidding me, right?" Moon snarled in disbelief. _Does he really mean it?_ "You're really going to sit there and blame yourself because you were thinking about others? Do you think that means to be a coward? That you can act responsibly?"

Newt turned to her his blank stare.

"I left them."

"You couldn't have helped them, not with your leg. That's a difference," Moon said uncompromisingly. "Don't you do that, don't you dare blame yourself because you know that you are needed by the rest. You couldn't just impulsively run in and risk your life. I could, because nobody needs me here," she said with a slight smirk on her face.

 _As Winston has told me many times…_

"You're wrong," Newt said strongly, his eyes were fixed on her tightly. "I need you."

Moon's eyes widened, but she couldn't look away from his. He meant it. They hadn't even known each other for two weeks, and he was serious. His body was tense and his expression was uncompromising.

"It doesn't matter that I don't remember… We went through hell together, and that must mean something," he said. Moon wouldn't say that they actually went _through_ , but okay… His gaze was even more intense right now.

"Don't you ever do something like that again."

"I won't," Moon exhaled.

"Good that," Newt said, and his whole body relaxed. "Now close your eyes and sleep. I want this bloody day to be finally over…"

 _You and me both,_ the black haired girl thought and obeyed him. A few seconds later, she felt his hand find her wrist and squeeze it gently. She had to smile.

"Newt?" she asked quietly, without opening her eyes.

"Hm?"

"Do you think you're biased? Maybe a little bit?" she teased softly.

"Shut up."

* * *

 **This was pretty emotional chapter and very Newt-centric. :3**

 **I have to thank you for amazing reviews - I was so thrilled!  
So Caitie, Annemieke, Chloé, bethefuture and littlepoison - you are the best!**

 **Hope you liked this chapter and rememeber - reviews are love!**


	12. Minho's Word

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.**

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **Minho's Word**

* * *

"You look comfy…"

Moon blinked in confusion as the sharp sunshine hit her eyes hard. It took her a moment to realize where she was, what was happening, and why her back hurt so bad, and also that Minho's comment had clearly been sarcastic. She raised her head, only to see that the cover of the Pit had been closed again and the Keeper of the Runners was grinning down at her. There was no sign of Newt anywhere…

"I was even sorry to wake you up," Minho continued; he was obviously in a good mood.

The black haired girl sat up slowly, feeling every part of her body - basically one massive ache from head down.

"I hate Alby..." she muttered sullenly, rubbing her neck.

Minho chuckled and disappeared from her line of sight. The bars opened and before Moon could do anything, two strong hands grabbed her and - not too gently - pulled her up. As soon as she reached ground, her legs collapsed with the foreign feeling of standing up, but Minho's bulky hands caught her.

"Geez… Couldn't you do that a little less painfully?" Moon complained, running a hand through her hair.

The younger boy shook his head as if she had said something incredibly stupid.

"We have a lot of work to do today."

"Oh." Her drowsiness was instantly gone. Today was the day. D-Day. Her body felt a surge of anticipation. Today, she would enter the Maze for the first time!

Stupidly, she immediately turned toward the Gate and started to walk towards it. However, Minho stopped her. His hand grabbed the hood of the sweatshirt she was wearing - his - and Moon nearly got strangled. Although, she did survive… Winston would probably be very disappointed.

"What do you think you're doing, Tiny?" the Runner asked her incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

"I-"

"You think you could just go into the Maze like that?" Minho shook his head in disbelief. "Are you shucked in the head? Maybe I should reconsider my decision..."

Moon gave him a deep frown.

"You woke me up like literally a minute ago - don't I have the right to be a little disoriented?!" she growled at him.

"No," he replied firmly, leaving no room for argument. "You're a Runner now. You can't afford to ever be disoriented. Or unfocused. Or dumb as klunk."

Moon had a lot of comebacks brewing beneath the surface, but she pressed her lips together. Minho hadn't just been messing around when he had promised her that her fun had ended yesterday. Clint had maybe been a little reserved, but he'd been a decent Keeper. Moon had no doubts that having Minho for her Keeper would be like constantly dodging a blazing inferno.

"Get it? Or do I have to spell it for you?"

 _Damned blazing inferno…_

Minho led her to the Map room, where only the Runners (and probably Alby and Newt) were allowed. Moon immediately felt very important. Her mood lifted also because of the fact that at one of the roundtables leaned her favorite blond Runner.

"Morning," he smiled brightly. At least somebody knew how to be polite.

"What the hell are you doing here, shuck-face?" Minho snapped at him before Moon could answer.

Ben's smile faded. "I heard that she'd become a Runner, so I wanted to personally congratulate her, before me and Kail head into the Maze," he explained and then stretched out his hand to her for a high five, smiling.

"Welcome to the team, Moon."

The black haired girl reached towards him, but as soon as their hands touched, Minho grabbed Ben by the throat, throwing him out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

 _Wow... and I thought he was in a good mood_ **.**

"I like him better," she noted.

Minho turned to her, his black eyes unreadable.

"He's not the Keeper."

Moon blinked in confusion.

"What's that has to do with it?"

"Everything," Minho snapped. "I'm the only thing you should be focused on right now. So flirt with Ben in your free time, because when you're in the Maze? Every distraction is your enemy."

The black haired girl was beginning to feel smaller than ever in front of the tall Runner. And she really didn't understand where was all this hostility coming from.

"I wasn't-"

"Do you really think I'm interested in your stupid backtalk?" Minho interrupted her rudely.

Moon blinked, retreating one step.

"Why are you so mean to me?" she asked, frowning and folding her arms in a protective pose.

Minho's eyes carefully studied her face.

"Why are you so mean to me?" he said mockingly. "What? You can't endure a few words? Someone raises his voice a bit and you break like a toothpick? What're you gonna do when you run into a Griever in the Maze? When you'll have to decide where to run, right or left? There'll be no cakewalk, Greenie, no fun or adventure. And I'm not Newt. I won't calm you down or cheer you up, I won't do your job for you. I won't kiss your butt when you do something right like that idiot Ben. So if you expect that, you should just quit right now."

 _God, I should have let that Gate crush him…_

Moon's own thought completely shocked her. She was surprised at how easy it was to hurt her pride. How easy it was to make her resent someone. Why was she reacting like that? She didn't need Minho to be her friend, the only thing she needed was to get into the labyrinth.

"I don't expect any of that," she replied calmly. "The only thing I expect is to get into the Maze, and I will do everything for it." She defiantly stared directly into his eyes. Until she noticed something strange...

"Um... Why are you smiling?"

And Minho was actually smiling. His smile wasn't a pretty one, it was conniving, maybe even a little mocking - certainly frightening, though.

"For a minute there, I thought that you're gonna cry…"

Moon was deeply confused.

"What…? You were testing me or something?!"

"I was just trying you out a little bit," Minho said with a curious tone of approval. "I was testing what you can bear. If you snap, if you give up... If you're a Runner, you have to be able to keep your emotions under control."

Moon stared at him with her mouth open.

 _Test? Another test? I've had enough!_

"I hadn't noticed that you could do anything like that," she said pointedly.

"I don't have to - I'm the best," Minho shrugged casually. "Anyway, everything I said is true. Not everyone can be a Runner, and that has its reasons. And we have our own rules."

Moon suppressed the urge to groan loudly.

 _More rules?_

Minho smiled at her.

"I see you're eager to hear them."

"Actually, I'm still pretty freaked out with your sudden changes of mood. Do you have multiple personalities? Schizophrenia?"

The Runner snorted.

"Shut your mouth and listen. Our rules are simple, but important and often mean the difference between life and death. There are only five of them. Firstly - Never forget your backpack. Without food and water, well… you die. And it's all to easy to get dehydrated and fall unconscious out there trying to get back to the Glade. Second - Stay alert. Always. Under no circumstances do you let your guard down. Thirdly - Remember the way out. If you can't get to the Glade before the Gate closes, you're Griever bait. Fourth - Never, ever stop running. And finally, our fifth and golden rule - Always listen to Minho. His word is the word of God."

Moon wrinkled her nose.

"You just made up the last one, didn't you?" she asked doubtfully.

Minho didn't say a word. He just pointed a finger behind her, and when Moon turned, she saw a blackboard on which all the rules were written. And the fifth rule was really there, written in capital letters.

"You're so full of yourself, aren't you?" Moon sneered at him. "How is it even possible, that you're a Keeper? I can't believe that the other Runners can put up with you…"

Minho turned his gaze at her almost casually.

"Don't think that I won't punch you just because you're a girl, Tiny."

"Well, I guess I shouldn't expect you to know how to treat a lady," Moon told him provocatively.

"I see no lady here," he replied promptly. "All I see is an idiotic, childishly impulsive little girl who thinks she's the best at everything."

"Right."

"What are the rules?"

Moon suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

"Don't forget your backpack, remember the way out, be alert, never stop running and listen to a narcissistic asshole."

Minho nodded, a serious expression on his face.

"Even if I woke you up in the middle of the night, you'd have to be able to tell me those rules without hesitation."

The black haired girl blinked.

"Wait... Are you planning to do something like that?"

"Who knows?"

Moon was frankly appalled by that idea. For a small moment, she wondered what she had actually signed up for and why she had promised to listen to every single word this maniac spouted out of his mouth.

"Okay, let's do it," Minho clapped his hands and walked to one of the chests. For a moment, he rummaged in it and pulled out a pair of shoes, a harness with a backpack on it and a watch.

Moon pulled off his sweatshirt and began to prepare. Her shoes were a little too big, but there weren't any smaller. The harness felt a bit like a straitjacket. She put the watch on her wrist, and then she noticed that her Keeper was watching her.

"What?" she raised her eyebrows.

"You look ridiculous," Minho told her simply.

 _So much for encouragement._

"Your face is ridiculous," Moon mumbled (though she knew it was a terrible comeback) as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail.

Minho ignored her comment, bending down instead and pulling out a belt with a short knife attached to it from the chest.

"That's all I get?" Moon raised her eyebrows once again, looking directly at the long machete, which was strapped to the Runner's back.

"Be grateful if anything," Minho snorted. "And try to not stab yourself with it." Then he looked at her intensely. "Listen to my every word. Or I'll kick you off the Cliff."

Moon nodded nonchalantly. Honestly, if someone didn't threaten her at least once a day, she wouldn't know what was going on with her life. When they ran through the Glade, she managed to wave to Chuck and then stood in front of the Gate, as she had so many times before. But this time, it was different. This time, she could actually go in.

"Are you scared?" Minho asked, looking down at her.

Moon smiled, feeling her body full of adrenaline.

"I can't wait."

"Great…" the Runner sighed. "Let's keep it to ourselves, okay?"

xXxXx

Moon didn't feel the pressure when she was inside the Maze for the first time. She felt a commitment, the humidity and the very fact that she was moving away from the Glade was filling her with pure happiness. She was out. It had been two weeks, and she was finally out! There was only one thing that could spoil her mood… and that was the fact that after a few moments of running after Minho, she was dying.

"You suck," Minho told her when he generously stopped after thirty minutes. "Even more than I thought you would."

"I didn't think it would be like this," Moon exhaled, relying on her own knees, trying to catch her breath. How the hell was she supposed to find anything when she couldn't even breathe?

"What did you think it would be like?" Minho raised an eyebrow, hyperactively trotting on the spot.

"A little more exploring and a little less dying..."

"You're a Runner," the Asian boy pointed out. "Not a Walker."

"Touché."

Moon hadn't really thought that they would take the rule 'never stop running' so literally. It wasn't in human strength, was it? To run around all day? True, Minho's tempo wasn't fatally fast, but still…

"Your problem is that you're quite fast... But that's it. You don't have any stamina. Like, not at all."

"Peachy."

"You'll have to practice. A lot of practice. And don't think I'll go easy on you."

"I would never have dreamed about it, oh great leader."

When she managed to catch her breath, she finally looked around a little. They were in a sort of crossroad. She realized that not all of the walls in the Maze were just as high - some of them were shorter, others formed a sort of stairs up, too high to make them without the assistance of ivy.

Moon's eyes were fixed upwards when Minho approached her, and without a word, he grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around. Once, twice, three times. She managed to get out from his hard grip after the fourth time.

"What the hell are you doing?! Are you crazy?" Moon snapped, swaying on the spot as the dizziness settled in the pit of her stomach.

Minho ignored her shriek.

"Which way did we come here?" he asked, his expression serious.

Moon stared at him. She couldn't even be really upset that he was testing her again - she was surprised by the fact that she really didn't know the answer. She turned around, viewing each of the four different paths.

"Which way?" Minho asked sharply.

"Wait a minute," she snarled at him, rubbing her temples. During the run, she had remembered every turn. But then she plunged into her thoughts and forgot everything.

"You don't have time," the Runner said coldly. "A Griever won't just sit down on his ass, and wait graciously until you remember."

"This way," Moon pointed to one of the paths. She was sure. With a triumphant smile, she turned to her Keeper, but his expression was stony.

"Too late," he said dryly.

"But I'm right," Moon said, frowning.

"But it took it too long."

"The Griever will spin me around to confuse me?" the black haired girl retorted.

"Well, it'll probably just kill you. Easy prey. But if you have to take ten seconds to remember which way we came when you haven't even been doing anything? What makes you think that you'll do it in a second when you see a Griever? But, whatever," Minho shrugged. "I almost forgot. You've never heard of thinking before you charge into something."

Moon bit her lip but said nothing. She promised herself that she would never allow this shank to get this close to her ever again.

"You're right, sorry," she said calmly. "From now on, I'll be focused."

"From now on till your last day alive," Minho said significantly.

 **~ Three days later ~**

Adam didn't make it. Actually he died that first day she first ran into the Maze, but the fact was hovered over her like a shadow for three days pretty intensively. She had saved his life only for him to die the next day in terrible agony. Adam was dead, and Newt was right. It was very easy for her to start falling into depression. Outwardly, she couldn't let anything show, but she had spent four days inside the Maze and nothing had happened. She remembered nothing, there was nothing that seemed familiar. Minho's method 'run while you still can' wasn't particularly helping either, but because he didn't know about her memories, she couldn't just say, 'Hey, slow down for a moment and I'll see if anything rings a bell!'.

Newt still wasn't okay with the fact that she had become a Runner, but at least he tried to pretend he was. He never asked her about the Maze, not even once. Minho was, as expected, a terrible pain in the ass as a Keeper, but she began to slowly and painfully get used to it. There was nothing else she could do, since he really knew what he was talking about and because she was spending literally whole days with him. If she didn't adjust, she would probably go crazy. He stopped with his crazy tests eventually, even though several times a day he asked her to repeat his rules. Then he tried to kick her every time when she intentionally missed the golden rule.

She got a day off. Moon was genuinely glad to finally get rid of Minho's delightful company, but that didn't happen.

"I hate you. Did I ever mention that?" Moon exhaled tiredly when they had run around the Glade about five hundred times. The Keeper of the Runners saw the term **'** day off **'** as an opportunity for a full day workout.

"Oh," Minho drawled out. "You're so sweet."

Then he disappeared into the old storage house and when he returned, he put a wooden spear in her hand.

"What about it?" Moon examined it with narrowed eyes. It looked like a long stick with a pointy end. It wasn't very convenient to take it into the Maze when she already had a problem with running.

"That's another part of your training, shanky girl," Minho explained to her with a smirk. "Your task is pretty simple, Tiny. Try to hit me with it."

She couldn't be more excited about her new goal. Minho had given her a hard time for days - a nice little blow in his head would help her release her frustration. But she was unaware that to strike this brawny boy would be so damn hard. Two hours had passed, and she hadn't even scratched him. When she ended up on the dirty ground again - for about the thirtieth time - she gave him the ugliest look that she could manage.

"Are you enjoying this?" she asked venomously.

"Honestly, I'm kinda bored," Minho said pompously. "I didn't expect you to be so shucking hopeless."

"Shut up, Minho!" Moon snapped. "Just kneel down and I'll show you how easy is to fight a giant!"

"Excuses, excuses…." the Runner sighed and tossed his spear from one hand to the other. "Pick up your sorry butt."

Moon glared at him. Not for the first time, she wondered if he hadn't made up this practice as another way to bully her.

"I want a break."

"No breaks," Minho snorted.

Moon winced as his words recalled her Janson and was suddenly grabbed by a desire to stab her spear directly into Minho's head. Her own bizarre thought startled her.

"You can have one after you manage to touch me," the younger boy said arrogantly. "C'mon."

The black haired girl scrambled to her feet. She had calluses from holding the spear and because Minho had repeatedly knocked her to the ground - she had scrapes and bruises all over her body. Again, a feeling of resistance to the Asian boy overwhelmed her and she whipped the spear at his head. He dodged it.

"Pathetic try," he commented.

She tried again. He blocked her like it was nothing.

"That's all you got?"

She tried again, this time in the stomach - nothing.

"Is that it?"

And again. This time, he pushed her with his own spear and forced her to take a few steps back.

"Come on, Tiny... Can you really not even touch me?"

She attacked him. He stepped aside and avoided it.

"Not even once?" Again. "Are you really so shucking weak?" And again. "Just a little stupid girl who-"

The only thing that she felt at that moment was a bitter hatred filling her heart. She swung her spear to hit him in the stomach, and when he deftly blocked it, she whipped the end of the spear towards his face strongly. The Runner stopped in the middle of his taunt, took two steps back, rising hands to cover his nose. Moon froze when she saw the blood on his fingers; the wooden spear slipped from her hand.

"Oh my God," she exhaled in disbelief, covering her mouth with a palm. "I'm so sorry!"

To her horror, Minho smiled, dabbing the blood on his sleeve. "Shuck it," he mumbled, then his dark eyes landed on her. "That was quite sneaky..."

Moon still watched him in terror.

"Did I break it?"

"What?" Minho frowned. "Of course not." He was wiping his face but achieved only that his blood was smeared all over his face. He chuckled. "You're an aggressive one, aren't you?"

Moon pursed her lips, taking one step back.

"Don't say that…"

"You are," the Runner chuckled again, wiping his face. "I saw it in your eyes - you wanted to kill me."

"I didn't!" Moon snapped, half angry, half terrified.

The truth was that at that moment, she hadn't even seen him. His words had infuriated her, and when she'd flicked her spear against his face, she'd seen Janson and his rat smile.

"Yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night," Minho grinned at her mockingly. "You can take a break now. Then we'll talk about how to keep your temper in check, killer."

Moon rolled her eyes, though she felt really bad.

"We have to go to Clint…"

"Hell no," Minho shook his head. "I'm fine. You think a little girl can put me down? Ha!"

"You've got blood all over your shucking face," Moon noted dryly. "You look like a total psycho."

"You're the psycho here."

"And you're still bleeding."

"I'm fine."

"You want to pass out again? It's been a long time since you fainted, right? Like three days?"

It took another ten minutes hassling him, but eventually she dragged Minho into Med-Jacks' hut. Clint didn't say a word, eloquent as always. For some time, he cleaned Minho's face, accompanied by his murmuring and then his green eyes turned at her.

"What about you?"

It was the first time they had spoken since her trial. Moon shook her head.

"You need to disinfect those scrapes," he pointed out carefully.

"I'm alright," she said coldly, turning away from him.

"No, she's not," Minho said from his place. "Not in the head anyway…"

Clint moved closer to her and held out his hand. When she looked down, she saw a lollipop in his palm. She narrowed her eyes.

 _You can't bribe me that easily…_

"Pretty cheap, using the same trick twice..." she said calmly.

"Sorry," the young doctor added quietly.

Moon studied his face for a moment, considering whether or not he was serious.

"But you would do it again, wouldn't you?"

"I would," Clint replied truthfully. "I won't lie to you. It's dangerous for you to be so reckless, Moon…"

 _Who the hell does he think he is? My father?_

Moon had to shake her head over how incredibly calm Clint was. He seemed so sapient to her, even though he was probably younger than she was. As if he always knew what to do and what was right. And that irritated her. But there was nothing she could do about it. And she had to admit that she quite missed him, four days were a long time… She took the lollipop and put it in her pocket.

"Doesn't mean I forgive you."

Clint smiled gently, knowing it wasn't true.

"If you two shanks kiss, I'll throw up," Minho informed them from his deckchair, destroying the moment completely.

xXxXx

"I'm sorry," Moon said quietly as they walked back into the Map room.

Minho looked at her and then rolled his eyes.

"God, don't be such a softie," he said wearily. "Don't you know that I was trying to provoke you on purpose?"

"But the purpose of that was to get me to control my emotions, right?" Moon raised her eyebrows. "Not to smack a spear into your face."

"Whatever works," the boy shrugged his shoulders. "If the rage can motivate you in the right way, I'll take it."

Moon's eyes narrowed.

"Why are you doing this exactly?"

"Why do you think, Tiny? I'm trying to make you tough."

"You're trying to make me blue," Moon retorted, frowning and showing him her scratched elbows.

"That's eating you, isn't it?" Minho sneered at her. "For two weeks you live here in the cotton - Frypan makes you special teas, Clint takes care of your every speck, Newt looks after you when big bad Alby says something mean. You wanted so badly to be treated as an equal, right? But it looks like you've changed your mind now, huh? "

Moon gave him a disbelieving stare.

"So you have to knock me on the ground like a savage because I asked for it, that's what you're saying?"

"I knock down the other Runners as well," the Keeper said casually.

The black haired girl snorted, shaking her head. Minho obviously didn't give a klunk about manners. He didn't care that she was a girl and that she was physically much weaker than probably all the other Gladers - he wasn't going to make any concessions for her.

"Everyone thinks that they want something, until they really get it," Minho told her with a wily smile.

"Wow. That was philosophical..."

Minho snorted and Moon only thought that she had to get out of here as quickly as possible. She wasn't sure how much more of Minho's distinctive attitude she could bear.

* * *

 **This chapter was completely Newt free. And yes, I missed him, but it was important for the future chapters to demonstrate how Minho's and Moon's relationship started. It wasn't even slightly easy - as it never is when two very stubborn people meet.** :)

 **Anyway, thanks for your support, I really appreciate it.**


	13. Written on the Wall

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.**

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

 **Written on the Wall**

 _ **"Do you think we're going die?"**_

 _ **The question came out of her mouth, even though she tried to stop it. Her eyes were fixed on the young boy on her right-hand side. He looked… so exhausted. Devoid of hope, which seemed unlike him. How long have they been here? How is it possible that they were still alive?**_

 _ **The blond boy licked his chapped lips.**_

 _ **"Everyone will die one day..." he said softly.**_

 _ **The black haired girl pressed her lips together, trying to suppress an onslaught of tears. How much longer would they have to endure this pain and this insane fear before it was over? She saw him, slowly closing his eyes, falling asleep. But for her, it was as if he was dying.**_

 _ **"Don't close your eyes!" she cried desperately; the blond boy blinked rapidly as he was torn from his state of peaceful lethargy. "Don't leave me..." she whispered and hated herself for it. He needed rest; every inch of his pale face screamed it to her. But... what would she do if he didn't wake up?**_

 _ **"I won't," he smiled weakly, chocolate eyes tired to death, but remaining open.**_

 _ **Moon sighed, one tiny moment of relief. And it ended drastically soon. Because they came. People wrapped in protective suits and masks marched into their room, to his bed, stabbing a needle into his arm.**_

 _ **"What are you doing?!" the black haired girl screamed in terror, watching as the boy's face, drawn by fear, slowly relaxed and his eyes closed.**_

 _ **"No... No, no, no!"**_

 _ **They moved his bed. They were taking him away!**_

 _ **"No! No! No! NO!" Moon shouted, trying to loosen the handcuffs, which cut into her wrists, but she did her best to ignore the pain, taken over by desperation. "Don't take him away! NO!"**_

 _ **But it was too late. The door closed and he was gone, as if he had never been there at all.**_

 _ **As if he had never existed.**_

"Moon, wake up. Open your eyes."

Moon opened her eyes, realizing there was a hot wetness on her cheeks. Her heart was beating wildly, and her body was still frozen in that horrible agony and fear. It was so strong, so real… and engrossing. Suddenly, she never wanted to recall anything else, ever again. It was just too much… Too painful.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice smooth as ever, no longer broken by torture.

Moon looked up. Newt sat beside her, his hand resting on her shoulder comfortingly. The black haired girl quickly wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.

 _No. I'm not okay... I'll never be okay again._

"I'm fine," she said hoarsely, twisting onto her side with her back to him so he wouldn't see her face.

From the first moment she had appeared in the Glade, he had been important to her, somehow. She had felt it deeply in her heart - she still did. She wanted to be close to him, she wanted him to understand. Was it only because once upon a time some wicked people had shut them up in the same room? Because they had gone through such terrible things, having only each other, and the feeling had been so strong that it remained inside of her? That was… so wrong.

"What was your dream about?" Newt asked, his voice hesitant.

Moon pulled the blanket closer to her body, huddling into a small ball. She was alone. He knew nothing. He couldn't; his memory was completely erased.

 _Lucky..._

"Nothing important," she said softly, pressing her lips tightly together as she remembered how badly it had hurt when they took him away. When they took him from her.

Newt lay beside her on his back, so close that he was touching her.

"You don't have to deal with it alone, you know?" he said after a moment of silence. Sensible as always…

"I do," Moon said dryly, closing her eyes. "Because I'm the only one who remembers."

Newt wasn't giving up.

"It was about me, wasn't it?"

Moon wondered how to respond without giving the whole thing away, bemused that he had guessed that much.

"I can tell, ya know? I saw the look in your eyes..."

Moon squeezed her eyes tightly. Newt grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. When she looked at him, his gaze was intense.

"Moon..."

"You want to know what it was about?" she asked bitterly. "You said that you wouldn't leave me. And you lied." Newt's eyes widened, but he said nothing. "They took you away..."

He was watching her face carefully, confused.

"And you blame me for that?" he asked softly.

"No..." Moon exhaled and turned away from him. How could he be blamed for something that was so clearly not his fault? For something that he couldn't even remember? He didn't remember it... and for that - she blamed him. No matter how ridiculous it was.

"Never give me empty promises, Newt," she whispered, closing her eyes. "Never again."

xXxXx

It seemed that the grumpier Moon became, the more Minho's mood improved - as if they were synchronized in some kind of weird negative correlation. Whenever was Moon full of energy, throwing her sarcastic phrases at him and provoking him, Minho was serious as the God of Death, constantly lecturing her and barking orders. But when her mood dropped to the lowest point…

"What's wrong with you, Tiny?" the Runner elbowed her playfully. "Usually you're all energy."

"Nothing," Moon mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

Minho had been waiting at her outside the bathroom today, her breakfast in his hands. He wanted to visit the Map room before the Maze and didn't want any unnecessary delay. And wasn't interested in her opinion, of course.

"Tell me," Minho insisted. "As your Keeper, I order you that."

Moon gave him an annoyed look.

"For real?" she raised her eyebrows.

"This is how it works in our little hierarchy," he nodded, mock-serious. "So?"

Moon knew we wasn't just going to stop.

"Bad dreams... Happy?"

"That's all? That's what's spoiled your unbreakably happy mood? Jesus, Tiny… Each of us has them - we are practically living a nightmare here!"

Moon saw an opportunity how to change the subject and took it without hesitation.

"So… you have them?"

Minho stiffened a little, apparently not expecting this question.

"… I had."

"Not anymore?"

"You know what? Shut up."

Minho opened the door to Map room for her - that was suspicious. When Moon walked in, she saw that all the other Runners were there as well, gathered around the round table.

"Wait, wait... What is this about?" the black haired girl asked. She didn't have very good memories of being in confined spaces with a lot of people staring at her.

"Calm down, Troublemaker," Minho rolled his eyes. "It's time for you to learn something about the Maze."

"Something?" Moon blinked. Didn't she already know enough?

"Everything," Ben smiled, pulling piles of rolled up papers from the chest and putting them on the table.

"What is it?" the black haired girl asked.

"These are our maps," Minho explained. "Actually… This is the entire Maze."

Moon was looking at the papers with narrowed eyes. So Newt really had been telling her the truth - they'd already run through every inch of that damned labyrinth. And they even had it all mapped out…

"I expected a bit of a different response," Minho said, looking at her suspiciously.

"You and me both," Ben nodded, approaching her. "Is this some kind of stage of shock?"

Kail, a tall boy with light hair just scanned her with furrowed eyebrows.

"I'm fine," Moon said calmly. "You've been here three years, and you run the Maze almost every day. I can put two and two together." _Aaand Newt already told me. But there is no need to tell them that, is there?_

"No panic attack? No hopelessness?" Ben was controlling. "Not even a little?"

"Maybe there will be after I finish running all of this by myself," Moon said with a wily smile. "God knows how much you shanks overlooked."

"Forget it, dude," Minho shook his head at Ben. "This one is too insane to be actually scared."

"Sure," Moon nodded casually. "And when that's clear - will we get back to the point?"

She reached out for one of the papers, but Minho quickly grabbed her wrist.

"Firstly - a few rules," he told her with a sweet tone.

"You know how to get me excited, Minho-boy," Moon said dryly, getting herself out of his grip.

"The Maps and what you're gonna be told now is strictly confidential. Only a few people know about this stuff and you're forbidden to say anything to anyone because-"

"Let me guess," Moon interrupted him, bored. "It would cause chaos and take the other shanks' hope away?"

Minho narrowed his eyes at her. "That's right."

"Anything else?"

"The Maps won't leave this room. You can't change them without my permission, and you can't talk about them."

"Peachy. Can I have a look now?"

Minho nodded and she parted the first of the scrolls. On each sheet, part of the Maze was carefully traced, marked with letters and numbers. Ben immediately began to help her with other papers and combining them together. Moon carefully studied the maps - they were truly processed very creatively, but still...

"I don't get it," she said blankly. "The Maze changes every night. How could you have everything mapped out?"

"Simply," Minho shrugged. "Eventually, we figured out that the inner part of the Maze rotates through a set schedule - only five patterns. Some of the Walls close, others vanish completely. But since there are only five options, it is easy to remember."

"Are you telling me that you remember every variant of that massive Maze?" Moon turned to him with a raised eyebrow, quite impressed. _Okay, he's been here for three years, but was that even possible? That thing is gigantic!_ "Wait... You said inner part?"

Minho nodded and Ben put another map in front of her.

"The Maze is divided into inner and outer parts," the blond boy said. "The inner part is huge, definitely at least tens of kilometers wide and it changes into five different versions, like Minho said. The outer parts are a bit more… complicated."

"What about them?" Moon asked.

"They are divided into sections," Minho said. "Around the whole inner part of the Maze - there are eight of them. But each day, only one of them opens. Every day of the week. I was so far running the inner part with you, Tiny. Today we will look at the edge."

 _The edge of the Maze..._ Moon felt goosebumps appear on her skin. If there was, in that damned labyrinth, a way out - it certainly must be somewhere on the border. Her depression of the morning suddenly became a thing of the past.

"Just don't get too carried away, crazy pants," Minho responded to her reaction. "It is seldom that we run into a Griever in the inner part of the Maze. But in the outer sections..."

Moon looked at him, eyes wide open. Surprisingly, this information didn't scare her and it definitely should, but it rather made her more curious. If the monsters stayed mainly in the outer parts - didn't that mean that the Creators were trying to keep them away from them because that was where the exit was?

"And what do you do when you see a Griever?" Moon asked inquisitively.

"You turn around and run for your life," Minho replied flatly.

"Isn't that dangerous?" the black haired girl frowned. "I think… if you run away from it, it follows… and you could bring it straight to the Glade."

"No," Ben said. "The Grievers won't come so close to the Gate during the day. We've have already verified that. When you get to this part," he showed her paths very close to the Glade. "You're fine. That is the only good thing the Creators have ever done for us," he added dryly.

"Yeah, let's all be grateful to those bastards," Minho snorted ironically and then looked at her. "Anyway, now you know everything. Today, you're officially a Runner. I waited with this information for some time because I didn't know if you would give up - but it looks like you're too stupid to have any instinct of self-preservation, so here it is."

"Geez, thanks."

"You're welcome, Greenie."

"So? What section are we running today?"

"Section 5. And get ready, Tiny, it's far away as hell…"

xXxXx

Minho didn't lie. It was far away as hell - almost on the opposite side of the Maze - and Moon could admit without much hesitation that she didn't remember the way back. It took a long time to get to the section, but there was no doubt about where they are when they reached it. In front of them was a large gap in the wall that slightly resembled their Gate but this one was bigger. The outer part of the Maze looked quite different from the inside. The corridors were much wider, as if parted and through some of the walls were tunnels, which you could climb to the other side.

"Stay alert, Tiny," Minho hissed at her quietly, noticing that she was lost in her thoughts yet again.

Moon realized that his entire stance had changed. His whole body was tensed and his black eyes were warily watching their surroundings. He had even slowed down to a walk. Moon could hardly believe that Minho was truly afraid of something, but if so, maybe it was the Grievers.

"Do the other sections look alike?" the black haired girl asked.

"Each section looks different," the younger boy replied. "Section 5 is probably most like a maze, but Section 7 is just a blank field. The Creators were probably too lazy to think of something original..."

Moon doubted that. Everything had a purpose.

"Eight totally different sections…" she said thoughtfully, more to herself than to him. "As if they were like puzzles that must be solved."

Minho narrowed his eyes at her skeptically.

"Please… What do you wanna solve on an empty field?"

Moon turned her gaze to him.

"You weren't endowed with too much imagination, were you?" she sneered at him. "You say that each day in the week - one section opens, right?"

"Yep."

"As I recall, the week has only seven days."

"How clever you are! I had no idea…"

"I'm serious. So how is it then?"

"Sections 1 to 7 open during the week. Not in numerical order, of course - that would be too simple. Section 8 is a bit strange."

"Why? What makes it special?"

"You know how every month we get a new Greenie? In fact, it's not entirely once a month. It is once every twenty-nine days. All other sections alternate for four times, and then, the twenty-ninth day, Section 8 opens."

Moon looked at him, her eyes wide.

"And you didn't find that even a little weird?" she shook her head in disbelief.

Minho shrugged.

"Define weird. We live in a labyrinth for three years, where the lift sends new people and supplies. Sure, when we figured it out, we thought it must mean something. But Section 8 is actually not very different from Section 5. Adam and I walked there that day when you arrived. And as always, we couldn't find anything but stupid ivy and tall walls."

Moon frowned. That Section 8 is opened only once a month had to have a reason. It had to be something special. And till its opening there were still twelve days. Twelve damn long days!

"What? How's your level of hopelessness now?" Minho sneered at her.

Moon turned her head to make a face at him, but at that moment, her eyes fixed on the wall behind him for some reason. She had no idea why, but it was as if her eyes were attracted to it. To one particular place at the height of her eyes covered with thick ivy.

"What the hell happened to you, Tiny?" Minho was watching her strained face and wide eyes, apparently questioning her mental stability.

"The wall," was the only thing that Moon could get out in her fascination. This was the first time such a thing had happened and she was too afraid it would disappear.

Minho evidently didn't realize the seriousness of the situation. "What? You wanna make out with it? Alright, fine. You have two minutes, I won't watch." To prove it, he even closed his eyes.

Moon turned her eyes at him in pure disbelief. Just for once she needed him to take something seriously, and he was in this mood?! And what happened to 'stay alert' anyway?!

"Don't be so freaking ridiculous!"

"You're right," the boy nodded, looking down at her. "I'll definitely watch."

Moon howled in frustration and walked around him, pulling her knife from her belt. She had no idea what she would find, but she knew there must be something. There, behind the ivy. She began quickly to cut the plant and pull it down on the ground.

"What the shuck are you doing?" The Runner sighed wearily. "There is no time to make a flower crown."

Moon ignored him. She demolished the last tendril and she got to the wall of the Maze. It was the same wall as all the other walls... with the difference that something was engraved on this wall. Three choppy words.

 **THEY WILL PAY**

Moon immediately froze, Newt's words running through her head.

 _ **"They'll pay for it."**_

This wasn't a coincidence. It couldn't be. Moon knew it, and her heart knew it, too, because it was painfully tightened. Her mind was completely empty all of a sudden; there was not even a single thought. So this was what a true denial felt like…

She was taken out of the strange emptiness quite quickly because Minho violently grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against the wall next to the inscription. Moon lifted her head up startled, just to meet his burning gaze.

"How did you know?" the Runner growled darkly. "How did you know that it was there?!"

Moon would have never thought that Minho could be this terrifying.

"I… I saw it through-"

"You saw it through two feet of ivy, is that so?" His grip tightened even more, the sarcasm in his voice was practically dripping. "That's the most pathetic lie I've ever heard."

Moon caught her breath, mentally cursing herself. How easily did she get into this situation? And Minho was so furious - he evidently wasn't a big fan of secrets. In this case, there was only one thing she could do. One thing that she rarely ever did. Tell the truth.

"I don't know how I knew... It just seemed familiar."

"Familiar, huh?" the younger boy repeated venomously.

"Yes," Moon replied, trying to sound calm. "I remember some things… Ever since the first day I showed up here, I've been recalling… stuff."

Minho's eyes widened, and he finally let go of her and stepped back.

"Why the shuck didn't you tell anyone?" he asked, still pretty much taken aback.

"I did," the black haired girl replied. "Newt and Alby know about it. And Clint."

Minho's eyes smoldered with anger.

"What?! Why the shuck-"

xXxXx

"-didn't you slintheads tell me?!"

Moon ran into the cabin quite a bit later, but still heard Minho's scream. They had been lucky that there were only Alby and Newt inside at that moment and no one else. The two boys had been standing by the table, discussing something when Minho interrupted them. Moon, desperately catching her breath, closed the door and leaned against it. It was hard to believe that she had actually managed to sort of keep pace with Minho, even though the Runner looked perfectly fine and she was on the verge of dying. Probably because great motivation was driving her - she didn't want to miss this moment.

 _This will be interesting..._

"Tell you what?" Newt asked, quizzically glancing at the black haired girl behind the Runner's back.

"Her!" Minho pointed his finger at her. "She remembers things! I should probably know that kind of stuff, don't you think?! Why the hell didn't you tell me?!"

Newt and Alby looked rather startled. Moon wasn't sure whether by Minho's fierce reaction or that she had dared to break rule once again. The situation was clearly not going to end well for her and she couldn't think of any way how to prevent that. Maybe…

"They were probably worried that you would be upset," she spoke up quietly, gaining all the attention. "That you would be shocked and might cry. They told me that you cried a lot when you arrived…"

Minho's eyes widened in absolute shock and his cheeks stained red. If from embarrassment or anger, Moon couldn't tell.

"WHAT THE HELL?! I WAS LIKE THIRTEEN, OKAY?!" Minho started to shout, turning to his two friends. "You shucks! How… How could you tell her that?!"

Moon was a completely taken aback by his reaction, her mouth open. _Wow… That escalated quickly!_

"They actually didn't tell me anything," she said softly, the corners of her mouth twitching. "But thanks for the information…"

Minho's entire body stiffened and when he turned his head at her, she knew she should have never made that last comment. His gaze promised her an excruciating death – after, of course, a few good years of torture devised especially for her.

"I'm gonna shucking kill you!" he snarled and lunged at her.

 _So much for the Runners controlling their emotions._

Moon barely avoided his hands, and quickly ran around him, leaping onto the table beside Alby and Newt. When Minho approached her again, determined to tear her down, she raised her hands in surrender.

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait!" she repeated and surprisingly, it really stopped him. "You were angry with them, remember?" Moon pointed to the two boys underneath her.

Newt turned to her, his eyes narrowed.

"Nice save, traitor."

"Sorry, but he almost broke the wall with me in the Maze," Moon told him zealously. "I'm not taking any chances with this maniac."

Alby turned to her with a purely annoyed look.

"Get off the table, Moon."

"Nope."

"Get off!" the leader scowled at her. "And while we're at it - you were forbidden to tell anyone about it!"

"He's my Keeper! I promised to listen his every word!"

"Oh, so now you're keeping your promises?"

"What the hell was that supposed to mean?!"

Alby didn't answer, although his point was quite clear, and her attention again turned to the Runner. With a little imagination, she could've seen the steam escaping from Minho's ears. He wasn't trying to touch her anymore, but he didn't look any less dangerous. He sat on one of the chairs and crossed his arms, frowning as the devil himself.

"I'm still waiting, shuck-faces," he told them firmly, having just two slits instead of eyes.

During the entire explanation, he didn't say a word. Just jumping with his narrowed eyes from one to another. Alby summed up everything for him, told him about Moon's memories about he knew and even explained the charade in the Med-Jack's hut, which Minho had witnessed.

When Alby finished, Minho got up and left.

Just like that. Without a word. The black haired girl met Alby's gaze - which was clearly promising her a long lecture - and suggested that she would go after him. She had no desire to speak with Minho when he was in such a state, but it was definitely better than the alternative.

She found him quite easily; the Runner stopped at the edge of the woods, close to the Map room. He was apparently aware of her following him because he turned to her, folding his arms across his chest, his black eyes unreadable.

 _That's just a great start._

"Just so you know - I was against it," Moon said quickly before he could even take a breath. "If it were me, you would have known about it from the day one. Everyone, actually."

"Yeah, you're innocent as an angel," Minho snorted and leaned back against the tree. "I thought we were clear."

"What do you mean?"

"We had a deal, remember?" Minho raised his eyebrows with significance.

"I obeyed every one of your shucking words, so don't even try to imply that I violated it," Moon frowned at him. She had planned to solve this in peace, but shuck it. This wasn't her fault. Alby had decided this, not her. Minho just shook his head, staring at her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I thought this whole drama around you was over," he said flatly. "That I ended it. I gave you what you wanted and everything should just cool off. Instead, I find that you're holding information from me, and every shucking evening Kail is trying to convince me that you're not who you pretend to be and the great Alby the Admiral-"

"Wait," Moon interrupted him, narrowing her eyes. "What the hell is Kail's problem?!"

The Runner just shrugged as if that topic didn't even concern him. "Winston probably got into his head. That slinthead has been running around whole day, trying to get people on his side. No big surprise that shuck-faced Kail bought it - his arguments are pretty convincing..."

 _Winston is doing what?!_

"But you don't believe that, do you?" Moon was reassuring herself quickly. "That I spy for the Creators? I hate those people more than any of you - I actually remember them!"

"No, I don't believe that - I believe you. Just like that. I believe the biggest liar I've ever met," he stated ironically. "That's what you think?"

And Moon actually did. She really didn't know why, but she did. Minho wasn't readable; you would never know what he actually thought. Moon still couldn't tell when he was joking, and when he was serious. But if he really didn't trust her… this conversation wouldn't make any sense, right? If he didn't believe her, he would be done with her. He wouldn't talk with her, he wouldn't even look at her because that's how he was. Minho wasn't Newt. He wasn't the type of person who would continue to haggle with people who he didn't trust and just tried to solve it out. Moon didn't think that he believed in second chances. For him, it was just - 'Fool me once. The end.'

"I do," Moon replied seriously. "I think that you believe me."

Minho's eyes narrowed at her for a moment.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Actually, I'm not. I just hope out loud," Moon chuckled, looking straight into his eyes.

 _You said that you have a talent for reading people. So prove it, Minho-boy._

He looked at her. And she looked at him. His black eyes were unreadable, but after some time, the corner of his mouth lifted in a sly grin.

"Wow. That was philosophical..."

Moon snort in amusement and relief.

"You really are a slinthead."

Minho bounced off a tree. "Okay. Let's not make a shucking big fuss about it. What happened, happened. I'm willing to turn a blind eye due to the fact that you really weren't allowed to tell anyone."

"Wait... You mean that people can normally reason with you?" Moon's mouth created a big 'o'. "Are you growing up?!"

The Keeper of the Runners gave her a dirty look.

"I don't wanna see you for the rest of this shucking day, Tiny."

Moon nodded.

"The feeling is mutual, Huge."

"Deal," Minho said - he simply had to have the last word - and left.

When he was out of earshot, Moon sighed.

"That went... surprisingly well," a smooth voice said from behind her as if reading her mind.

The black haired girl winced, quickly rotating around. How the hell had he managed to sneak up at her, without her noticing?

"Were you hiding behind a tree?" she asked in disbelief.

Newt gave her a cheeky smile.

"That would be lame, don't you think?

"And scary," Moon added. "Like, stalker scary."

Newt chuckled and folded his arms.

"Let's change the subject. So, I was thinking..."

Moon froze. Oh, God. He had that look. That _I-know-you-didn't-tell-me-everything_ look. And if she wanted something the least, it was to discuss what happened in the Maze. Geez, and here it was! The little distraction in the form of furious Minho disappeared and she had to face reality now. And the reality sucked.

"Why exactly did you have to tell Minho about your memories?"

 _Goddamn you, you suspicious little English!_

Moon smiled. A great big smile. And a fake one, of course.

"You know what? We're always talking about me... Aren't you already fed up with it? I am! Let's talk about you for a change! How was _your_ day?"

 _And the prize for using the worst and the most obvious excuse in the world goes to…_

Newt nodded, mock-serious expression on his face.

"Fair enough. I was almost all day in the garden with Zart. Since you spend most of your time in the Maze now, it's pretty calm and quiet here… And speaking of the Maze…"

Moon sighed. What was this drama actually for? She was gonna tell him, anyway... She always tells him. There was no way that she could keep this information to herself. Not when Minho knew. She wondered if he ever realize what that actually meant. Maybe he already did…

"I've found something in the Maze," she said quietly. "Words etched into a wall..."

Newt cocked his head to one side, interest flickered in his eyes.

"What did it say?"

"They will pay." _Sounds familiar?_

It definitely did. Moon watched how Newt's dark eyes narrowed and she could almost see how fast he was thinking, putting pieces together. And then his eyes widened in horror and she knew he had reached the same conclusion as she did.

"But that means-"

"Don't say it!" Moon quickly interrupted him, sinking into panic.

She wasn't ready to hear it. She wasn't ready to face it. Since she realized, she was trying to bury it deep inside her, but it wasn't simple. She turned her back to Newt, rubbing her temples with her fingers. What was she going to do? Hard to believe that the world could become even more insane than it already was.

"Don't say it," she pleaded one more time. Once someone going to say it out loud, it would become real.

Newt approached her and gently put his hand on her shoulder. She could immediately feel how warm it was.

"Maybe, it doesn't necessarily mean that," he said after a while. "You could see it through the camera. It could be a trick. Or it could have entirely different explanation…"

Moon blinked in surprise, turning her eyes to him.

Was he really with her on this? Was he actually helping her to deny the obvious because she childishly wanted? God… Their relationship had officially just become really unhealthy. And she didn't care one bit.

She was looking right into his chocolate eyes.

 _I adore you so much right now..._

"Thank you," she said softly.


	14. Luna

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.**

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **Luna**

* * *

She should have known that something like this was going to happen. Things had been going too smoothly; fate would have to intervene sooner or later... She had become a Runner. Alby had let pass that she had told Minho about her memories almost unnoticed. Minho trusted her. Newt had finally accepted that she sought a way out - at least, she was fairly sure about that, judging by the way he'd actually said goodbye to her that morning before she went into the Maze. And she had finally found something out there.

Therefore, she should have been expecting this. A reversal, a break, a blow below the belt. Yet she was so damn surprised...

She wasn't ready when she heard an unearthly sound that sounded like a mechanical howl. She wasn't going to accept it, even when Minho crouched and grabbed her hard by the wrist, starting to pull her away, pressed against the wall. She didn't move a muscle when Minho ordered her to stay put and let go of her hand. He withdrew from her barely forty feet, checking the another hallway which led away from the Section 3.

At that moment, it came again. That sound. That… moaning. The blood froze in her veins; it was very close. She was turning around, but it didn't matter - she saw nothing.

"WATCH OUT!" Minho screamed in horror.

At that moment, it occurred to her to look up. And then… she saw it. A huge vile monster, crawling over the walls like some disgusting, ungainly spider. Its oval dimmed body was covered in slime and it protruded countless mechanical arms; some were ended with needles, others only with sharp spikes, others were covered with weapons that looked horribly out of place against the grotesque skin. The Griever's head was just a slimy ball with two black slits instead of eyes and a wide mouth that was contorted into a mocking grimace.

Moon didn't move. She didn't know if it was the fear or just pure shock, but she stood there, didn't even attempt to escape. She saw how one of the mechanical arms suddenly moved toward her, but her body was petrified. Its long thick needle was jabbed into her abdomen, pinning her onto the wall. Moon cried out in pain, feeling an unknown liquid cold as ice flowing into her, and then there was nothing. Nothing at all.

xXxXx

 _ **She saw him again. That brunette boy with hazel eyes and a blank expression.**_

 _ **"That wasn't a smart move, Moon."**_

 _ **She recognized him and she was horrified. She started to fight with him immediately, but her body was terribly weak. Without great difficulty, he managed to drag her a few meters away from the glass room. He was younger, but definitely stronger than she was. He pulled out a needle and she fought tooth and nail to keep it away from her body, but it was useless. Eventually, he interjected it into her arm, then he withdrew his hand, watching her carefully.**_

 _ **"Why are you doing this?" Moon exhaled, the fog was slowly swallowing her up.**_

 _ **"For the greater good."**_

"Tiny!"

He disappeared. The boy just vanished in thin air and Minho's face suddenly appeared. Moon realized that she was lying on the ground. For her, it felt as if just a few seconds had passed, but the Runner was whole covered with sweat, and obviously has been running for a long time.

"What the shuck happened to you? I thought that beast stung you!" he cried out.

Moon was confused.

"It did."

Minho's eyes were wide and confused. He gripped her shoulders, starting to lift her up.

"Then why-"

She blinked and Minho was gone. He had just vanished. Instead of him, there was Janson, tightly clutching her shoulders. A wave of panic swept through her body and she began to fight him. She tried to get away from the Rat Man, as far as possible. Away from that terrifying smile of his. She managed to kick him in the stomach, his grip loosened and she quickly scrambled to her feet, getting herself to a safe distance from him. She pulled out a knife from her belt, standing herself in a defensive position.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Janson spoke up, but his voice didn't fit. Something was wrong. But Moon didn't care. Her fear was flowing in her veins like poison, and when he took a step closer, she pointed the knife at him.

"Stay away from me! Don't you dare touch me!" she shouted at him.

"Are you shucking kidding me?!" Janson exclaimed, but his lips didn't move. "I won't hurt you! What the hell's wrong with you?!"

Moon blinked, confused, and when she opened her eyes again, Minho was standing right in front of her, his hands raised in a placatory gesture.

Slowly, she put the knife away.

"Minho?" she asked, startled.

"Yeah, it's me," the Runner sighed, somewhat sarcastically, as if he was saying _who else?_ "Are you with me?"

"Where is Janson?" The black haired girl was looking around, running her hand through her hair desperately. _What is going on?!_ "I don't understand!"

"Calm down," Minho was probably trying to sound reassuring, but he failed drastically. His whole body was tense and he was apparently already fed up with this situation. "Who the shuck is Janson? Mainly, stop yelling, okay? The Griever could-"

Minho disappeared again. In the middle of his sentence, it was as if someone had just snatched him away. He wasn't there, nor was his voice. The Maze had never been darker. For some time, she could only hear her own ragged breaths as she was slowly sinking into a panic. Then she heard steps. Light, slow steps. A figure came from the corner, wrapped completely in a black cloak. Moon froze as the unknown person approached her-

"Wake the shuck up!" Minho's sharp voice broke through the darkness, Moon blinked and he was back in front of her. "You're hallucinating! We have to-"

Moon didn't care what they had to do at that moment. She was confused to the core and a sharp pain hit her head like a red-hot spear. And with Minho's every word - it was worse.

"Shut up!" she screamed, pushing him away. "It hurts! It hurts so much!"

Moon squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them again - Minho was gone. Instead, there was that cloaked person again. But the pain persisted, of course.

She started to clutch her head with her hands.

"Stop it!" she exclaimed. "Enough! Please, that's enough!" She wasn't sure who she was begging, maybe the Creators, maybe God, anyone… Just stop this pain!

" _ **Save your breath,**_ " the dark velvet voice said mockingly. " _ **You should know better now, then expect**_ **them** _ **to answer on your pathetic pleadings.**_ "

The irony was that once _she_ spoke up, the pain disappeared. As well as the pressure. The image finally settled and she could see her clearly. She had a hood over her face and she was standing in the shade, which was giving her a dark aura.

"Who are you?" Moon asked nervously.

The dark figure chuckled. " _ **Don't you know?**_ "

Moon shook her head and then her whole body stiffened as _she_ moved closer. She pulled the hood from her head and Moon gasped for air. It was a girl, as she has expected. She had long, tousled, black hair full of leaves and dirt. She looked at her with wild dark blue eyes, beneath which she had huge dark shadows. Her whole face was unhealthy pale and grubby. Besides all that… she was her perfect reflection.

But that wasn't possible. No. Moon immediately denied it. This… girl wasn't anything like her. She looked so... broken and powerful at the same time. Her eyes were merciless, Moon could see right through them into her dark shattered mind. This girl, this... Luna wasn't her. She was just her hallucination, Minho said it, didn't he? She wasn't real. But she was dreading her to death.

"That's… that's not…" Moon was so confused and upset that she couldn't even construct a sentence. It was so terrifying to look at your own reflection, when it looked like that. "That's not how the Changing works…" she said weakly. This didn't make any sense. She was stung. She shouldn't be seeing crazy things, she should get back some of her real memories, shouldn't she?

" _ **Really?**_ " _she_ cocked her head to the side, her voice icy calm. " _ **And how does it work?**_ "

Moon swallowed, and began to recite what she'd heard.

"You lose your consciousness, spend days in terrible agony, and some memories will come back to you, but that's it..."

" _ **So, this isn't very regular, right? Interesting… But tell me, what happens when someone is stung several times?**_ " Luna asked airily. The light tone of her velvet voice was even scarier. She was talking to her like a slow-minded child.

Moon blinked, not seeing the point.

"There's no one who was stung more than once."

" _ **Isn't there, now?**_ "

Moon was watching that creature in front of her carefully, her mind working at 200% and _she_ was gazing back.

" _ **Come on,**_ **Moon** _ **,**_ " she spat her name as if it was some rude word, clearly growing tired of her. " _ **You are supposed to be smart… What happens when someone is stung and then, after some time, they are stung again?**_ "

"Well," Moon started nervously. "In that case… The poison wouldn't necessarily work the same way. I suppose the body would build some kind of… antidote?"

Luna was glaring at her, blue eyes full of disgust. She seemed to completely loathe her… but why?

"Wait…" Moon's eyes widened in realization. "Are you telling me that I have been stung before?"

" _ **I ain't telling you a thing,**_ " her shadow snorted. " _ **I'm done with helping and I'm done with you. It's over, little Moon-boon. You never gonna learn, you never gonna win…**_ "

Moon winced when Luna used Chuck's nickname for her and clenched her fists. She was still scared, but her words were chafing her.

"Why are you saying this?"

" _ **Because they've got you again,**_ " her reflection said, shaking head in disbelief. " _ **I can't believe they've actually got you again!**_ " she yelled.

Moon backed away. The girl looked dangerous, half insane and angry. There was a hot rage inside her dark blue eyes.

"I don't know what are you talking about!" she tried to defend herself.

" _ **Oh, you don't now?**_ " Luna chuckled wickedly. " _ **Let me guess - because you don't remember... And you know why don't you remember?**_ "

"Because of them. They erased my memory," Moon replied softly.

" _ **It was easier for you to forget,**_ " Luna said as if she didn't even hear her previous comment. " _ **You had given up. If you hadn't, you'd remember more at this point, but you barely remember anything! It was easier for you to just give up!**_ "

"I didn't give up!" Moon screamed desperately and her shadow-self moved forward quickly as a snake. Her fingers wrapped tightly around her neck and squeezed it mercilessly.

" _ **You did,**_ " she told her coldly, her dark eyes examining Moon's terrified face. " _ **Are you going to stand here, telling me that you don't know who I am?**_ "

Moon was biting her lip. This wasn't real… This was just a hallucination. This wasn't happening…

" _ **What, do you need a hint?**_ " Luna mocked her in her face.

"You are not me," Moon whispered softly. "You can't be."

Luna's dark blue eyes flashed, as she leaned her face closer to Moon.

" _ **I am you,**_ " she smiled menacingly. " _ **I am the better you.**_ "

Moon frowned, gathering the last remnants of her courage.

"Well, you certainly don't look like that..." she snorted.

Seriously, what was with that girl? How could someone look so finished and strong in the same time? Moon didn't want to even think what she had gone through.

Luna darkly chuckled and tightened her grip around her throat.

" _ **I am the version of you that actually knows what to do. I am the version of you who never gave up. I am the you who found**_ **the way out** _ **.**_ "

Suddenly, nothing mattered. Moon didn't care about anything that had happened so far. She didn't care, that Luna seemed dangerous and crazy, she didn't care that she was treating her so poorly, she didn't even care that she was still crushing her neck between her fingers. All of that disappeared as soon as she heard her last three magical words and her eyes widened.

"You know the way out?" she wheezed.

" _ **Hah,**_ " Luna let out amused breath right into her face. " _ **It looks like I have your attention now.**_ "

She let go of her, stepping back and smiling.

Moon ignored the fact that her smile terrified her and took a step closer.

"Tell me _ **,**_ " she pleaded urgently. "Tell me where it is."

" _ **Wouldn't you like to know?**_ " Luna sing-sang caustically.

"This isn't funny," Moon said, frowning. "We're dying here. You can end this all, so-"

" _ **We?**_ " Luna raised her eyebrows. " _ **Ain't that interesting…**_ "

"Please… I'm begging you…"

Moon was desperate.

How could she persuade someone like that to start behaving like a normal person? Luna's smile faded away, her hard blue eyes glaring at Moon.

" _ **Figure it out on your own, Tiny. Just like me… Although, from the look at you I'm not sure you actually can.**_ "

"I don't understand…" Moon shook her head. "If you are me…"

" _ **I am you.**_ "

"Then why are you doing this? Why won't you help me? That doesn't make any sense!"

Luna chuckled. " _ **Be careful not to burst your veins thinking… Because you're not getting any other pieces of information from me, little cheater. No shortcuts!**_ "

Then she turned on her heel and disappeared into the shadows of the labyrinth.

"Wait!"

Moon tried to follow her, but once she entered into the darkness - it consumed her.

xXxXx

When she opened her eyes, she wasn't standing in the shadows anymore. Actually, she wasn't standing at all - someone was carrying her on their back. And she felt like hadn't been sleeping for thousand days.

"Minho?" she exhaled wearily, when she recognized that black hair.

"You're awake?" Minho asked, surprised. "Jesus, seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Moon didn't have the strength to respond to that.

"Put me down, I'm thirsty," she moaned softly.

It was true. It was like she hadn't been drinking for several days. The Runner pulled her down from his shoulders and slowly leaned her against the wall.

"Ok, but I warn you - if you're gonna fight with me again - I'm just gonna leave you here. Trust me, I will," he said, his black eyes were carefully studying her face.

Moon didn't care. Her head was full of thoughts, but she couldn't focus at any of them. She still saw Luna's pale face before her eyes. She gratefully accepted Minho's bottle and almost drank it all.

"What's happening?" she asked, puzzled.

"You tell me," the Runner straightened, basing his arms. As he was looking down at her from above, he began to remind her Alby.

"I have no idea," Moon shook her head, trying to pull herself together a bit. "What happened with the Griever?"

"I guess he lost his appetite when you fainted," Minho said carelessly, but Moon could see at him that he had no idea why the monster didn't kill her. "He stung you and went after me. It took me two hours before I shook him off. When I came back - you were unconscious. Then you started to yell at me and fight with me. Then you recognized me, then yelled at me again and then you passed out. Being your babysitter is pure joy, Tiny."

"Why didn't I just lose consciousness, like everyone else does after they get stung?"

"You're asking me?" Minho just threw up his hands in the air. "I don't have a clue! I was just glad you finally passed out and I could take you out of that shucking section! I thought I'm all good, but then you started to mumble something in your sleep…"

Moon looked up at him, tensed. Had Minho heard her entire conversation with Luna?

"What did I say?" she asked cautiously.

"I didn't understand you much," he said. "I heard 'they erased my memory,' and 'this isn't happening' and then all over again, 'you are not me'… Do you remember any of this?"

"No," Moon lied immediately. What else could she do? Tell him about the deep conversation with her distraught version of herself, by whom she was eventually sent to hell? Oh God... has that really happened?

"We won't tell the others about this," Minho said suddenly and firmly.

Moon looked at him, her eyes tired.

"I hear that phrase quite often," she said somewhat bitterly.

"It is for you, dummy," Minho rolled his eyes. "A lot of shanks already think that you're a spy and don't trust you. What would happen if they found out that you didn't react to the stung like everyone else?"

"But it's not my fault!" Moon cried desperately. "I have no idea why this is happening!" Why did everything she did turn against her?!

"I know," the boy replied.

Moon's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong... she had just whined about the harshness of fate, and he hadn't even mocked her. He was too calm, collected… Did he really just say that he would do something for her own good?

"Why are you looking at me like that, Troublemaker?" Minho frowned.

"How do I know this is not another hallucination?" Moon asked, feeling totally lost. She really had no idea what to believe. "What if you're not real?"

Minho sighed and squatted down next to her. He leaned toward her and for the moment, it seemed that he might say something comforting, but in the next second - his hand flew through the air and he slapped her leg with his open palm.

"Ouch!" Moon gasped when her whole leg went through painful spams.

"How real do I look now?" Minho asked sweetly, smiling from ear to ear.

"You're such an asshole!" the black haired girl snarled at him, rubbing the place where he had hit her. "This doesn't even prove anything!"

"Come on, Tiny," the Runner chuckled. "You don't have enough imagination to create my reflection in your mind in such a perfection. I am real! Or do I have to smack you again?"

"Stay away from me, shuck-face!"

"Oh, this is the second time you've told me that today. The words can hurt, you know, Tiny? Think about it..."

"Yeah, you're one to talk."

Minho pulled her on his back after a moment and they continued on their way. The Glade wasn't far away. Moon managed to stay so-so conscious, trying to keep her eyes open and focus on the road.

In the next moment she wished she hadn't been looking. Because someone appeared on the path. A small pale figure wearing a hospital robe, with tousled blond hair. It was a boy and he was barefoot. He ran across the road a few steps ahead of them; his chocolate eyes turned at her for a moment, full of grief. And then he disappeared. Moon's eyes were wide extended and she wasn't breathing.

"Newt," she exhaled in disbelief. "Newt..."

"Yeah," Minho replied casually. "I'll take you to him, you little addict."

"Didn't you see him?" Moon couldn't believe her own eyes.

"What?"

"He was right in front of you!" _Have I really gone mad?_

"He wasn't real," Minho told her simply.

"But-" Moon tried to protest.

"You got that shucking Griever poison in your system - it plays with your head," Minho interrupted her. "Don't believe anything you see."

Moon just sighed wearily, leaning her head on his shoulder. Nothing made sense and she felt so miserable right now. She missed Newt so bad... It felt like she hadn't seen him for years. Why couldn't he be here with her? She didn't even believe that Minho was real - it seemed to her that he spoke far too wisely.

"It's just in your head," he told her. "Say it."

"It's just in my head," Moon said, having no strength to resist.

"Good that," the Runner nodded. "Now close your eyes and zip it. We're here. Home Sweet Home."

Moon didn't even look if he was telling the truth. She closed her eyes and let him carry her limp body.

 _It's just in my head._

"What happened to her?" Zart. That was Zart's voice. They had to walk around the gardens now… If this wasn't just a hallucination.

"Let's just say that she didn't see that wall coming," Minho chuckled amusingly. "Smashed her face right into it! Oh man, I wish you could've seen that! Too bad that I didn't have a camera!"

Moon realized two things. First - this Minho was definitely the right one. This was real. And second - he was one the hell incredible liar. How is it possible that she has never noticed that?

Zart nervously chuckled.

"Is she going to be okay?"

"'Course," Minho snorted. "Girls last nothing. But I'll take her to Clint anyway, so…"

Moon must have momentarily lost consciousness because the next thing she realized was that Minho was putting her on one of the loungers in Med-Jack's hut. He exchanged a few sentences with Clint, which she didn't hear except for the last sentence, which immediately brought warm to her chest.

"I'll go get Newt," Minho said and was gone.

Moon exhaled in relief, her lips stretched into a tired smile. Newt was on his way. Everything would be fine. That freaking poison had to fade away at some point, right?

Clint leaned over her, putting a cold compress on her forehead. His pale green eyes anxiously studied her face.

"Hi, Doc," Moon chuckled wearily.

The Med-Jack didn't respond to her greeting. Instead, he reached out and pulled her shirt up to reveal her stomach - Minho had to tell him that she was stung there.

"Hey! What about some warning first?!" Moon tried to slap him on the wrist, but her hand was too heavy to lift.

"It looks exactly like all the other bites," Clint said, pulling her shirt back, turning to her. "So how is it possible that you're conscious? How is it possible that your skin didn't crack, that you're not screaming in pain?"

"When I find out, you'll be the first one to hear it," the black haired girl she said.

Clint pursed his lips.

"We can't let the others know about this…" he said quietly.

Moon blinked.

"Even Alby?" she asked hopefully.

"Alby needs to know."

"Shuck it."

The door swung open and Newt flew inside with a terrified look on his face. Immediately, he approached her bed, reaching out a hand to touch her face. The fear in his chocolate eyes mixed with confusion.

"You said she was stung!" he exclaimed, without adequately taking his eyes from her.

"Yeah," Minho replied, he ran into the hut a second later. "I also said that you should act discreetly, you slinthead!"

"She was stung," Clint interjected, "but her body hasn't responded regularly."

Moon felt her awareness waver and she vehemently fought to keep herself awake. It was like she hadn't seen Newt in decades, so she couldn't just pass out now! And my God, he looked so scattered.

"Hey," Moon gave him a small smile when she saw how distracted his eyes were. "It's okay... Everything's gonna be okay."

She tried to take his hand, but the movement was too slow and shaky. Newt's fingers willingly came forward to reach her.

"You don't know that," he said furiously. "You were stung… You could have died. You still can! You should never have gone to that bloody Maze!"

Moon forced a short chuckle.

"And I thought you were an optimist..."

Newt closed his eyes for a moment, trying to forcibly calm down. She could hear how his breath became regular again, when he opened his eyes, they weren't so frightened anymore.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, concerned.

"Great," Moon replied. "I'm fine, really. In comparison with what it was like - this is the highlight! Oh, Newt… It was awful. I was brutally hallucinating, seeing horrible things… All kind of crazy stuff happened to me... and Minho was nice to me!"

"Dear God," Newt sighed wearily. "You are hallucinating…"

"… and then he hit me in my freaking leg, that bastard!"

"Oh. That makes… a lot more sense." Newt turned his head to Minho, who gave him a brilliant smile.

"It seems that you have everything handled here, don't you? Me and the redhead here are gonna grab some dinner. Don't die, Tiny, and see you later."

And he pulled Clint by his sleeve out of the hut.

Once they were gone, Newt leaned closer.

"Are you going to be alright?"

Moon nodded.

"I can feel that thing slowly fading…"

That was a lie. Conversely, she could feel the fog beginning to overwhelm her mind again, slowly but surely. But at least Newt didn't seem so worried now, although she can tell that she hadn't convinced him completely. Well, he wasn't stupid.

"You almost gave me a heart attack," he exhaled.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, her surroundings turning into a smudge.

"Moon?"

His smooth voice reached her, but it was too late. The fog engulfed her and she plunged into darkness once again. When she opened her eyes, Newt was no longer there. She didn't feel the warmth of his hand, the surrounding was so cold. She stood amid the darkened labyrinth, not having the slightest idea how to find her way back to Glade.

But maybe, that wasn't her goal…

" _ **Solve the Maze, Moon,**_ " Janson's voice taunted her in her head. " _ **Solve another Maze.**_ "

This time, Moon knew that he wasn't really there. She didn't feel any fear. She wasn't tired, nothing was hurting her. This was a hallucination. She had appeared in the middle of the Maze and there was certainly a reason for it. It didn't even take her five seconds to realized what it was. Because subconsciously - she could almost feel her presence. Luna was here somewhere. And she knew the way out. It was her task to find her.

Moon started to run. She was determined to get the answer at any cost. Whatever it takes.

* * *

 **Big thanks to everyone who followed/favorited or reviewed!**


	15. For Him

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.**

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **For Him**

* * *

Moon felt as if she had been running in the Maze for days. She finally understood what Newt had meant when he had talked about the riveting pressure. Time passed and she knew she had to find her other self quickly, before it was too late, before she woke up. Sometimes she thought that she could hear Luna mocking her, but her velvety voice echoed, so she had no idea which way to run.

It could be said that she found her by a mere coincidence. She spotted her like a shadow that crossed the wall, and when she turned - _she_ was just standing there, with her arms folded across her chest, an annoyed expression on her face.

" _ **You really are annoying,**_ " Luna sighed.

Moon forced a smile.

"Long time no see," she chuckled. "What, am I disturbing you? You're busy to be a hallucination for someone else?"

Luna looked at her with narrowed eyes.

" _ **If I'm only in your head, it's quite confusing, don't you think? That means that you arguing with your own subconscious. You aren't right in the head, Moon-boon.**_ "

The black haired girl snorted. "I stand here, talking to my… more used reflection - I think it's pretty clear that I'm not exactly displaying signs of good mental health right now."

" _ **I see that there will be no more stuttering...**_ " Luna gave her a nasty smile, leaning comfortably against the wall. " _ **Not that it matters. I'll never tell you the way out. You just don't deserve it."**_

Moon was looking at her for a moment. She almost couldn't tell, because Luna looked so drained, but she was definitely... younger. Even her hair was a little shorter than Moon's. She looked at her and her eyes sparkled with hatred - Moon could clearly see that behind all that hatred was hidden a terrible pain. And suddenly she couldn't understand how she had been so scared of Luna before…

"I think that you're the crazy one here," she told her softly.

Luna's eyes narrowed cruelly.

" _ **Oh, yeah?**_ "

"You say that you're me and don't move a finger to do something for me," Moon said. "I just don't get it. I'd do anything to help you."

In the eyes of her reflection, a flash appeared.

" _ **Would you?**_ "

"I would."

" _ **Okay. Then remember.**_ "

Moon frowned, puzzled.

"What?"

" _ **Don't be a wimp**_ ," Luna challenged her, bouncing off the wall. " _ **Remember. You can't leave your past behind, that's not how it works. I don't want you to. It's not fair; it's an escape. I want you to recall everything. I want you to remember me.**_ "

The black haired girl was just looking at her in disbelief.

"It wasn't my choice, don't you get it? They erased my freaking memory!"

" _ **Like so many times before,**_ " Luna hissed and then sighed wearily. " _ **Do we have to go through this again? Repeated use - a creation of antibodies? It's only possible to erase memory perfectly once.**_ "

Moon blinked.

"How do you know that?"

" _ **You do know it as well,**_ " Luna shrugged. " _ **And you would know a lot more if you weren't such a coward... You wanna know the way out? Remember then. Recall it and I won't have to say a word.**_ "

Moon's lips tightened.

"I can't do that."

" _ **You haven't even tried!**_ "

"I know that's impossible!" the black haired girl snapped. "Believe what you want - I can't remember! I've been trying every shucking day in this hole!"

Luna snorted and turning her back on her.

" _ **Then we're done here…**_ "

Moon bit her lip angrily. She was right, Luna was crazy. Remember… As if Moon could just snap her fingers and all the memories would suddenly return to her. That wasn't possible! And honestly - given how devastated Luna looked... she wasn't sure if she even wanted to remember. Maybe that was the problem.

Moon's eyes widened when she realized something. Suddenly, she knew that she could convince Luna to help her. She knew it for sure.

"You were the one who wrote it on the wall, weren't you?" she asked calmly.

Luna shot her a glance - an answer brighter than the sun.

" _ **I don't know what you're talking about.**_ "

Moon smiled slightly.

"I think you know... _They will pay_ \- those are his words."

Luna looked at her with blue eyes full of rage.

" _ **Shut up,**_ " she said darkly.

"Do you know how long Newt has been here?" Moon asked, almost casually. "Three years. Three-shucking-years."

" _ **I don't care!**_ " Luna snapped.

"You do care. You're me, so you do. Obviously, you do. Otherwise, you wouldn't have written his words on the wall."

Luna threw herself at her. She held out her hands, trying to wrap them around her neck again, but this time, Moon fought back. She wasn't scared - she grabbed her wrist and kept her away from her body with all her strength.

"You are leaving him here," Moon told her harshly. "You're not better than them."

Luna growled something furiously, pushing her away, breaking from her grasp. Then she went back to the wall. She turned her back to her and Moon could see that her body was painfully tensed.

"You don't have to do it for me," Moon said more gently. "Or for yourself. But do it for him. Tell me, where the way out is."

When Luna turned, her eyes were glistening. And Moon knew that she had won.

" _ **Section 8.**_ "

A surge of excitement swept through Moon's body.

 _I knew it! I knew it had to be Section 8!_

"Where?"

Luna opened her mouth, but at that moment - the entire labyrinth shuddered. Heavy gray mist swept through the corridors, covering and deafening everything. Moon turned to her reflection once more, seeing as Luna pointed her finger towards the ground. Her last words came to her from a great distance, but it was like she heard them inside her head.

" _ **For him**_."

When Moon opened her eyes, the Med-Jacks' hut was dark. Newt sat by her bed, his head resting on her hand. She woke up with a jerk, waking them both up and for a while, they both were blinking in the darkness, confused.

"Are you okay?" he asked sleepily.

Moon smiled, in a long time she didn't feel any tension in her body. All the pain and the fatigue was gone, and she knew that the poison finally stopped working. She knew the way out. She knew the way out!

She sat up, turning her face to Newt.

It was time to tell him everything.

xXxXx

Newt didn't say a word. He stared blankly ahead of him, not even blinking as he tried to process everything. Moon couldn't imagine how he must feel. He remembered nothing from his past. He didn't know who he was, he had spent three whole years in the Glade and then a completely strange girl came around, clogging him up with information which perhaps he didn't even want to know. But this time was different. This time, she said that she knew the way out of this hell. Moon doubted that he had still hope after all this time - she definitely wouldn't. This must have been… hard for him.

"You need some air?" she asked carefully.

Newt slowly rolled his eyes at her and nodded. The black haired girl swung her legs out of bed.

"Wait," he stopped her. "Is it okay for you to get up now?"

"I'm fine, trust me."

To confirm her words, she lightly jumped on her feet. She really felt quite fresh despite all of the things she had gone through that day.

They went out of the hut; the Glade was plunged in silence and darkness. Moon's eyes gently slipped to Newt's wrist, on which he had a watch - it was four in the morning. Everyone else was still fast asleep. Newt sat down on the grass with a quiet sigh, his eyes scanning the vicinity of the Glade for some time. When she sat down beside him, he turned to her with an unreadable face.

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly.

Moon didn't even think about it. She just nodded.

"I wouldn't have told you if I wasn't," she told him. "I wouldn't have given you false hope."

"I just..." Newt's eyes turned to the Homestead. "It's so hard to believe that..."

"I know."

"After so many years... Like it was a dream."

Moon understood him. She couldn't imagine that she would have sought the way out so long. For her, those seventeen days had been like a hundred years and the knowledge that she'd have to wait another twelve days yet was grueling. But at least she knew now, that she would get out. That they all would.

"We have to tell the others," Newt said.

Moon nodded, her heart heavy. She had no delusions that it would go smoothly. Sure - most of them would be thrilled if only because they really wanted to believe it. But what about Winston? What about his bunch of minions who probably were thinking night and day about how to banish her from here? And what about Gally?

In addition, they would all want an explanation. They would want to hear the whole story, including how it was possible that she knew something like that. They would want to know everything she'd tried so hard to keep buried inside.

"We don't have to tell them _that_."

Moon blinked, turning her eyes to Newt. Not only that he guessed her thoughts again, but… what? She stared into those dark chocolate brown eyes.

"They'll want to know how I know," she said softly.

"That doesn't mean that we have to tell them," Newt said easily. "Would it do any good for them? No. Half of them have never even considered you anything more than a troublemaker and you found a way out. You don't owe them anything."

"So what? I tell them - I just know. Period?" She didn't like this plan very much. Because she could vividly imagine their reactions.

"No," the blond boy said. "We'll call the Gathering and tell them that you remembered it when you hit your head in the Maze – that's what Minho said happened to conceal that you were stung, right? You probably saw it on a screen or something. Simple."

Moon stared at him.

"We can't do that."

"Sure, we can."

"I can't force you to lie for me! You can't even do it convincingly!"

"I won't say a word, so it will be fine."

Moon sighed. It sounded great and it sounded like an escape. Luna was right - she was just a coward.

"It doesn't matter. Alby will never agree to that."

"Alby doesn't have to know."

Moon gave him a surprised look. For God's sake, he really wanted to do it… He really wanted to do it, for her.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Newt snorted with a smile.

"I should be thanking you."

"I don't think so." Moon shook her head, raising her eyes to the sky.

They sank into a pleasant silence. After a while, a gust of cold air touched them and Newt moved closer without a word. Moon could feel the warmth of his body and her arms constantly had goose bumps. She hasn't taken her eyes off the sky.

"It's strange, isn't it?" she spoke up quietly. "You can see the stars here, but I don't think that I've ever seen the moon. Not even once. Have you ever seen the moon?"

"I have," Newt replied softly.

Moon looked down at him, just to see a wily smile on his lips. On his perfectly-cut lips. And they were so close. This was the perfect moment...

"Let's go to sleep." And she had completely ruined it.

xXxXx

"Well… wow."

Moon woke up, blinking in confusion. The voice came from above. In her drowsiness, she looked up only to see Minho's huge figure standing over her. It was a second before he turned and slammed the door behind him. It took her a moment before she realized what had just happened. She quickly turned to Newt, who was also awake. And also frozen. Then there was the same voice, coming from the corridor.

"Hey! Did you shanks know, that Newtie and Troublemaker have a mattress in their room? Which they both _share_?" Minho's voice was as loud as it could be.

"WHAT?!"

"Are you kidding?!"

"That lucky bastard! There is one girl in the Glade! One!"

"That should be against the rules! Someone should tell Alby!"

"Damn Newt! Why?!"

"She got him! I knew it!"

"That's not fair!"

Moon groaned, sinking her face into a pillow.

 _Damn you, Minho! You're such a shuck-face!_

She was determined to stay like this forever, but... then she heard a strange sound coming from her right side. She raised her head and squinted her eyes - it was true! Newt was giggling. He was bloody giggling!

"Having fun, Blondie?"

Newt couldn't answer her through his laughter, so she just sighed and rolled from the mattress away from him. So much for the beginning of a wonderful day.

The breakfast was awful. Moon has never paid much attention to it, but after the morning charade, she had a feeling that everyone was staring at her. Each one of the Gladers and it wasn't pleasant. She took a plate from Frypan and was relieved to find out that Zart was sitting at one of the end tables along with Chuck. She sat down next to her favorite Track-Hoe, but when she turned around, she noticed his frown.

"What's the deal, Zart?"

"You know what's the deal," the blond boy snorted. "Didn't you forget to tell me something?"

Moon blinked.

"What?"

Zart turned to her his narrowed eyes.

"You and Newt-"

"Whoa, hell no," Moon interrupted him. "We're not doing this! Geez! It's not like everyone think it is, trust me…"

"What does everyone think?" Chuck asked, confused. It seemed that he was probably the only one in the whole Glade, who wasn't familiar with the 'mattress' situation. And Moon definitely wasn't going to give him The Talk now.

"Of course, it isn't," the Track-Hoe rolled his eyes, ignoring the younger boy. "I can't shucking believe it…"

"Don't you have eyes in your head, Zart?" Clint asked with a smile, sitting down with Ben. The smile on his face quickly faded, as he immediately gave Moon a disapproving look. "So I take it that you're okay since you snuck out of the hut in the middle of the night without saying anything."

Moon looked at him in surprise. Geez… How long it is, since he'd last lectured her? Two days? She really felt like a little kid getting a speech about manners.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"Overreacting a bit?" Ben chuckled. "She just smacked her head a little, man, no biggie."

Oh, right. That was the official version. Clint, fortunately, wasn't Newt and he didn't let that comment set him off. He just shrugged his shoulders and began to devote his breakfast. Moon started to wonder if she wouldn't get lost in the web of lies in the end - after all, it was a big enough problem already trying to remember who actually knew what. Then she noticed that Zart was still frowning at her, obviously requiring her attention. To see this look on his face was completely unnatural.

"Oh, come on, Zartie! I'm telling you the truth! And what of it? I thought you were still hoping other girls would come up."

"I am," Zart sighed. "But I was quite taken aback. It closed one door for me. I guess I was kind of hoping..."

"Jesus, no!" Moon exclaimed dramatically, hoping that the Keeper was just messing around. "That could never happen, Zart. You're like my brother. My brother whom I deny in public, of course."

Clint let out an amused chuckle and thus gained her attention.

"Do you find it funny, Clint?" she sneered at him. "Don't you think that I don't have a simile for your as well."

"Who is he?" Ben asked, smiling widely.

"He is a middle-aged teacher on my high school, on whom I had a big crush. I was trying so hard to gain his affection, but he was too wise and sophisticated for such an affair."

Clint stared at her. His face was calm and smoothed, but his ears were the same color as his hair.

"I'll just go eat my breakfast elsewhere," he mumbled and left.

Frypan swung on his spot.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked, watching the Med-Jack walk away.

"He's afraid of love," Moon replied, mock-seriously.

"Okay, who next?" Zart gently poked her with his elbow, evidently enjoying this new game. "How about…"

His eyes strayed to Ben, but before he could finish his sentence, the Runner interrupted him.

"Alby."

Moon stretched out her arms.

"Well, that's easy. He's my bossy step-mother who thinks he own the whole house and hates me because I don't kiss the ground which he walks on. And…" Frypan's eyes widened in horror and Ben was even shaking his head on her. _Crap._ "He is standing right behind me, isn't he?"

It had to be just her luck. Moon turned slowly, just to see a powerful figure of the leader looming over her. The expression on his face suggested that he wasn't amused.

"Morning, Alby," she smiled at him innocently. "How are you today?"

Alby's eyes narrowed, but before he could say something-

"You alright, Alby?" Newt came to her rescue.

Moon quietly exhaled in relief, when the leader's attention turned to the tousled boy.

"Peachy," replied the leader ironically. "In fact, I want to talk to you. Would you mind?"

Without waiting for an answer, he simply grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of earshot at the edge of the forest. Newt let him with a puzzled expression on his face. Moon watched as they moved away and didn't have to be Einstein to know, that this was about the mattress. This had to be about that stupid mattress...

"That was awesome," Frypan said, his whole body shaking as he tried to stifle a laugh. "It's like some TV show here lately!"

The others looked very similar, but Moon wasn't amused. Alby was talking with Newt about something and she had really bad feeling about it. It had been incredibly frustrating that she couldn't hear what they saying, but when Alby openly pointed his finger at her during his speech, she couldn't stand it anymore.

 _That shucking finger again!_

She jumped on her feet and headed right to them.

Alby stopped in mid-sentence, turning at her unbelievable gaze.

"What the shuck are you doing here?"

"You're talking about me, aren't you?" Moon asked, folding her arms defiantly. "Let's do it as adults then and not whisper behind each other's back."

Alba shot her that _you-are-going-in-the-Pit_ look and Moon steeled her self-control.

"Fine," the leader said, crossing his arms just as she was. "I made up my mind and you should both hear that."

Newt frowned gently, probably also felt that this wasn't going to be good. "What is it?"

"I think you two would benefit from some distance."

 _Wait... what?! What did he just say?!_

"What?!" They both cried at the same time and they both looked at each other in surprise, blinking.

Newt put himself together first.

"Is this just about the mattress?" he asked calmly.

"That's not any of your concern!" Moon hissed, not calmly at all.

Alby gave her a scowling look.

"I'm the leader of this shucking place if you haven't noticed yet, Greenie. I'm doing this klunk for two shucking years! Everything is my damned concern!"

"You're a freaking dictator!" she shouted at him.

"You can't leave her alone, Alby," Newt started to reason. "Or can't you see those looks some shanks still giving her?"

Moon was confused. Was Newt lying? Since when he was good at it?

"What looks?"

"See?" Newt chuckled, pointing a finger at her. "You can't leave her on her own, not if she's so bloody oblivious."

 _Oh, excuse me then… should I leave?_

"I wouldn't leave her alone," Alby said calmly. "I would just give her another roommate."

"Really?" Newt snorted. "And who would that be? Who would be appropriate?"

 _Seriously, who? Who could be more suitable than Newt?_

"Clint."

 _But- Yeah, I guess… But no, hell no!_

"Listen to me, Admiral," Moon said, pointing a finger at him in his own style. "You and I, we didn't have a problem for ages now… I'm following your stupid order, I'm doing everything right. But try to…" _take him from me_ , was on her tongue. "… enforce this and I'll burn this place to the ground."

This wasn't Alby's _you-are-going-in-the-Pit_ look. This was _I'll-kick-you-from-the-shucking-Cliff_ look, but Moon didn't back down. She was furious. She hated how Alby tried to control her every move right from the very beginning - and now he was even trying to control who her roommate was? What comes next - he would tell her what to wear? What to eat? And when to breathe? Hell, no!

"You still don't have any idea who you're speaking to, do you, Greenie?" Alby gritted darkly.

A few seconds passed and the atmosphere could be cut with a knife. Alby was glaring at her and Moon was just waiting for the moment when he would lunge in her direction and attempt to strangle her.

"Okay," Newt broke the heavy silence, raising his hands in the air. "I'm sure there are more subtle ways to solve this out. Aren't you, Moon?"

"Don't care," she said bitterly. "He's trying to bully us. Since when are our sleeping arrangements his shucking problem, he's not in control of my shucking life!"

Alby said nothing for a while. A strange thing was that the silent Alby looked even more dangerous than the screaming Alby.

"I want to talk with her alone," he said suddenly, his voice calm.

 _That's just great!_

Moon looked at Newt, waiting for him to say something. The blond boy just sighed and left them without protest.

 _So much for support!_

The black haired girl was watching the leader carefully. She was never exactly overwhelmed with courage when they were alone and without witnesses, and this wasn't an exception. Whatever Alby wanted to say, it will be definitely horrible…

"I won't take you from Newt's room." Or not.

 _Wait, what?_ Moon just blinked.

"Um, okay," she said uncertainly.

"Now, listen to me and listen carefully," Alby commanded, taking a step closer. "Newt is my best friend, if I find out that you just play with him-"

"You gotta be shucking kidding me," Moon rolled her eyes. He was giving her the speech, really?! "It's not like that! You would know if you have just asked! We're sleeping next to each other, because of my nightmares. Newt wakes me up from them every night…"

It was such an intimate thing to say… It was like revealing a secret. She didn't want Alby to know it. But now he knew. And she couldn't take it back.

"That's all, nothing more. Happy?!" she snarled at him.

Alba studied her for a moment as if wondering whether she was telling the truth.

"If you say so ..." he said, clearly unconvinced, and turned his back to her.

"Alby," Moon stopped him before he could leave. He turned quizzical look to her, annoyed. "Even if it was like that, you don't have a say in this. I don't care if you're a leader of this hellhole. Stay out of us."

Alby's eyes narrowed. Moon clenched her fists, preparing for a big fight, but... he said nothing. He turned and left without a word. Moon was just staring behind him blankly. Was that all? No Pit? He didn't even put her back in her place, as was his habit?

"Stay out of us. Nice," the voice said behind her smoothly.

Moon jerked around, only to see Newt leaning against a tree beside her. Wait, did he seriously just walk around the half of the Glade, only to sneak up on them from behind? And how much he actually heard?!

"Do you have to keep sneaking up on me like that? Geez!" the black haired girl said, running a hand through her hair.

"Relax," Newt chuckled. "Everything went well after all."

"Well, yeah. But I still can't believe that he tried to separate us for nothing."

"You didn't have to worry, I would have convinced him. I would have just said, that you chose the ideal one out of forty boys on your first day!" The blond boy rolled his eyes, speech heavily injected with sarcasm.

Moon's eyes narrowed. _Seriously, that's what happened?_

"I didn't choose you. You offered yourself, remember? Didn't even let Alby to give me the tour…"

"Oh, you did choose me," Newt insisted stubbornly. "I asked you, with whom you want to share a room and you said-"

"I'd been here like five minutes! And I was only talking to you, Alby and Gally. Who did you think I would choose?"

"Do you really have to destroy this for me? Damn you, woman!" Newt fumed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You're right. Thirty-four boys, but you... you were my obvious choice."

"… Shut up."

"No, really. You were the one who pulled me out of the Box after all… You never had an equal."

"Stop it, you," Newt sighed. "That sarcasm of yours… Hard to believe that it's not even five minutes since you've seemed that you will put a fight if Alby gives you to Clint. You must really want to live with me."

He clearly meant it as a joke, as a small provocation.

"I do," Moon said sincerely, despite the fact that Newt was obviously kidding. "Do you?"

Newt blinked, not expecting this response nor the question.

"I… do. I got quite used to you, to be honest… Even though everything you do is just driving me insane."

"Well, your accent had been driving me insane since my first second here, so I think, I'm winning…"

"… What?"

 _Oh, crap. Did I just say that out loud?_

"Um… Let's forget I just said that," Moon said quickly, feeling her blood rushing to her cheeks. She tried to leave, but he grabbed her wrist.

"Wait," Newt chuckled, dragging her back. "I'm not sure that I wanna do that… What was that again? Didn't quite hear ya…"

"Let go of me," Moon said, turning her red face away from him. "I really don't want to see you right now. Let's respect each other's personal space, shall we?"

"Something about my accent?" Newt asked in a sweet voice, completely ignoring her comment. It seemed that he was emphasizing his accent even more now… intentionally.

 _For God's sake…!_

"We should definitely talk to Alby. Beg him to separate us. Is forever long enough?"

"Don't ya worry, love. You won't get rid of me so easily…" Newt's voice was no longer a voice. It was just deep, seductive purring.

Moon heard her heart pounding rigidly.

"There," she said, her voice bleary. "I got my answer."

Newt finally managed to turn her to face him, his hands clutched her shoulders. Chocolate eyes absorbed her completely for a moment.

"I know you don't mean that…" he said, his voice smooth as silk. "You wouldn't stand one night without me."

Moon didn't know when his face got so close and she didn't care. She was looking into those warm dark eyes, being sure about just one thing. That he was right.

"Am I interrupting something?" the smug voice asked.

They both quickly turned around. It was Minho. He was standing there, beefy arms folded, watching them with a grin. This was already the second time that day when he suddenly appeared and a second time when Moo wanted to punch him right between his eyes.

"Oh, here he is! Mr. Shank who can't even knock before entering the room," Newt sneered at him, his hands gently rolled off her shoulders.

"We've never knocked in the Glade," Minho shrugged nonchalantly. "I see no reason why this should change just because of Madam Melodramatic here."

"You've never knocked, but always gossiped like you're in kindergarten, I suppose," Moon said, basing her arms. "What were you doing in our room anyway?"

"I went to check on you," Minho told her flatly, as if it was something obvious. "But don't worry - it was a one-time thing. Won't happen again."

"I see that everyone is in a delightful mood today," Newt said ironically. "Whatever. Although it sounds incredible, I've to go talk to Alby."

Oh, yeah. The Gathering. Another amazing thing that she could look forward to. Newt smiled at her and left and Moon turned to her Keeper. Minho was leaning against the tree and his expression was so arrogant that anyone who looked at him would be immediately seized with a desire to hit him with a shovel – or at least Moon wanted to. Did he really have to come into their room and then tell everyone like a little a brat?! What a jerk!

She was about to tell him something really venomous, but then she noticed the long scratches on his neck, and there was no doubt who was their creator. At that moment, all her anger dissolved - how could she be angry with him after what they'd experienced yesterday? After what she had put him through? Instead of being ungrateful, Moon was going to do something else. It didn't matter that he acted like five years old and got her into trouble - she couldn't ignore how much he helped her. So she wanted to tell him.

She wanted to tell him everything.


	16. One Rule You Hadn't Broken Yet

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.**

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **One Rule That You Hadn't Broken**

* * *

Minho hadn't responded the same way Newt had. He wasn't surprised, not even taken aback - well, if he was, he did very good job hiding it. He listened to her entire story to the end, without interrupting her. Moon doubted that she had ever seen him paying attention to anything for so long. When she got to the part about the Maze, his eyes narrowed.

"Section 8?" he said skeptically.

"What about it?"

"Sometimes, it seems like you think we're total idiots, Tiny." The Runner shook his head. "You think you're the only one who ever had that idea? Don't be so full of yourself. You know how many times we searched section 8? Sure it seemed the most suspicious, but apart from a few shucking Grievers we found nothing. It just doesn't seem right…"

"It's there, trust me," Moon insisted.

"Trust me," Minho repeated after her, mimicking her voice with a babyish pout that she was certain she didn't have while shaking his head. "And do you know where exactly this magical door is supposed to be?"

Moon had no idea. 'In Section 8' was the only information she had gotten from Luna, and even though she hadn't gone into the Maze many times, her meagre experience was enough to make her realize what a problem that was. Despite this, it still seemed like a jackpot to her.

"I will as soon as we get there?" the black haired girl bluffed. "Just like the writing - I'll remember."

"So we just have to rely on your sixth sense, that's what you're saying?" the Runner asked.

"Do as you think," Moon said bitterly, his attitude starting to get on her nerves. "Are you too busy to go find a way out, or what?"

"Stop fretting, of course, I'm glad for every chance to get out of here," Minho said in a tone that could possibly be taken as slightly more conciliating. "But I think we shouldn't tell the others. Not until we know for sure."

"Well... that might be a problem."

"What? Why?"

"Because I told Newt? And he is talking with Alby about the Gathering? Like right now?"

"Oh, shuck," Minho sighed. "That's so typical... Well, let's try to stop it, then."

The Runner walked past her and Moon frowned.

"That's it? That's all you're gonna say?"

He didn't answer, so she just followed him.

"Thank you, Moon, really appreciate that you told me, Moon," she muttered indignantly. "I know it was hard and I'll never forget it."

"Jesus," Minho snorted. "You and Newt were made for each other. Both so oversensitive and needy."

"You say that as if it was a bad thing," the black haired girl said with a shrug. "Maybe we are like that, but we are still better than you." It felt good to use the word 'we' in that context.

Minho looked at her quizzically.

"What was that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, just..." Moon bent down and picked up one small rock from the ground. "You're as sensitive as this rock," she said and threw it at him. "Here. That's your new best friend."

Minho caught it without a problem before it could hit him in the chest.

"Funny," he said sarcastically. "Just keep going like this and maybe I'll introduce my new BFF to your face."

"The truth hurts, I know," she chuckled, but then her smile faded.

They didn't have to look for Alby anymore. He was heading directly toward them, his eyes full of lightning, Newt was trying to keep up with his limp. Moon was grabbed by the desire to hide behind Minho's back. Instead, she looked up at him, beseechingly.

"What about just let it go and go for a run into the Maze? Somewhere far, far away?"

"You're gotta be kidding me, Greenie!" Alby growled at her before Minho could answer. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?!"

"Well, you know now, so why to make a fuss?" Moon retorted carefully.

"We were just talking - it's not even twenty minutes!"

Honestly, the black haired girl wasn't sure why she hadn't thrown the information that she'd 'found' a way out into his face at the first opportunity. It was most likely because she got distracted by the fact, that she could be separated from Newt and she momentarily forget about it.

"Relax, Admiral," she said sarcastically. "Why do a few minutes matter? There are still twelve days more till the opening of Section 8."

Alby shot her a murderous glare and folded his arms across his chest. "We are calling the Gathering. Today."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Minho said. "Tiny doesn't know the exact way out, just a section in which it should be. It may take months to find it."

Moon was frankly horrified at the idea.

 _Months? No way!_

"People have a right to know," Newt said firmly.

"Yeah," Alby nodded. "It could significantly raise local morale here."

"And it could also give them all false hope," Minho frowned, but then shook his head. "But whatever, Alby, it's your call."

"It is. And I say that we will tell the other Keepers today. All of it."

Moon's eyes widened. _All of it?_

"All of it?" Newt asked, his eyes narrowed.

Alby sank into thought. Moon recognized it because a few wrinkles jumped up on his forehead.

"Who knows about that Moon was stung?"

"Only us, and Clint," Newt replied.

"And does he know that he should keep quiet?"

"Clint isn't a shucking idiot," Minho snorted.

"Okay. In that case, let's keep it to ourselves. But we will tell them everything about your memories," Alby decided, not asking permission.

"What the hell are you talking about?" a puzzled voice asked and everyone was startled - even Minho, although he would certainly deny it. When they turned, they saw Ben standing there, just two steps away from them and Moon had no idea how he had gotten there. But his expression said it all - he had heard it. At least, Alby's last sentence. His blue eyes turned to her in disbelief.

"You got memories?"

"Hi, Ben!" Alby exclaimed before she could say anything and put his hand on his shoulder. "Guess who just earned a place in today's Gathering?"

Without adequately saying anything else, he pulled Ben aside, presumably to shut him up for a few more minutes.

"Well, that went smoothly," Moon said, turning to Newt. The blond boy had a worried look on his face. "What? I'm sure Alby can handle him. Ben isn't me."

"It's not Ben," Newt said calmly. "I just realized something and it's not exactly merry stuff…"

Moon exchanged a glance with Minho, moving closer to Newt.

"What is it?"

"Section 8 opens once a month."

"Yeah, we know, Newt," Minho chuckled. "We'll have to wait a few days I guess…"

Newt looked at him, his gaze was definitely not amused.

"It opens that day a new Greenie comes into Glade."

Moon blinked when that information finally hit her and a horrible pit opened up inside her stomach.

"That means…"

"That means that we get out," Newt said grimly. "But someone will stay here alone."

xXxXx

"Are you guys serious?!"

"What the hell?!"

"Why the shuck didn't you tell us?! You should have told us!"

"As a Keeper, I definitely had the right to know!"

The Gathering had been going on for ten minutes ago. All the Keepers were assembled there, plus Moon and Ben, who had earned his place by eavesdropping. Alby was absolutely terrible with subtlety, so he had just pretty much announced that Moon actually remembered some things and didn't forget to say that some people had known about it since the day one. The reactions were… pretty much what Moon had expected. She was sitting next to Newt, her head leaning on her hand, staring blankly ahead and trying to imitate an invisible wall. It was not the best idea; in fact, it seemed that some of the Keepers were irritated by it even more.

"Are you just going to sit here and not say anything?!" Terry snapped at her angrily.

Moon looked at him, bored.

"Kindly calm down, shank, it wasn't my idea in the first place."

She 'discreetly' pointed her finger towards Alby and he promised her slow and painful death with his glare. Moon blinked at him and immediately stopped her pointing.

"Okay. Even so, I probably wouldn't tell you," she admitted. "Not to all of you, anyway."

"Are you joking?" Gally snarled at her angrily. "We have a right to know this sort of thing!"

"And why's that?" Moon asked belligerently. "Where is it written?!"

"Okay, okay, everyone just calm down, alright?" Newt tried to negotiate a peace, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You're not exactly making it easy, you know?"

Moon leaned back in her chair, basing her hands, pouting.

"Can't we just finally get to the good part?"

"There is a good part?" Frypan raised an eyebrow. "Can't wait to hear it," he added sarcastically.

"Without those comments, douchebag," Alby told him, turning to his right side. "Newt? Would you explain it to them?"

At that moment, Newt's face turned unreadable. Moon knew why and bit her lip. Newt was counting on not having to explain - in other words, not having to lie. Who would have thought that Alby would decide to grant him this opportunity? Moon took a breath, prepared to take it all on herself, but Minho was faster.

"I'll tell it, I was there, after all," he interjected without any hesitation.

Moon internally relieved. She had no doubt that Minho won't even stumble. This shank could be describing you a yeti with a perfectly calm straight face and you would have believed him.

"Yesterday we were in the Maze, and as some of you already know - Moon tried to take a shortcut through the wall," he said, his lips stretching into a gloating smile. "I seriously didn't see that coming, really. We were just like running, everything was cool, and then she - in a full speed-"

"Back to the point, Minho-boy," Moon gave him a glare.

"Whatever," Minho shrugged. "Anyway, she lost consciousness for a moment and that blow had probably some positive effect on her because she remembered something else. She remembered the way out of the Maze. Or at least, where it is."

And that was enough to have the whole cabin plunged into silence. Moon could have sworn that the time stopped for a minute completely because literally no one moved. For a moment, it seemed that they hadn't even heard Minho. But then…

"Where?" Ben asked in amazement. "Where is it?"

"Section 8," said Minho.

"So why are we still here?" Zart asked, rising from his chair. "What are we waiting for?!"

"Sit down, Fart," Minho rolled his eyes. "It's one of the external parts of the Maze, which will be open after twelve days."

"I don't get it," Clint shook his head. "How did you remember something like this? Plenty of people here have had bad concussions and never suddenly realized the way out. It just doesn't happen."

 _Even you, Brutus?_

Moon wanted to groan desperately. In all this mess she had forgotten to explain things to Clint. She should have known that he was too smart to not really think about it. The other Gladers were too stunned, but now when Clint had mentioned that…

"She could have seen it on a screen," Newt shrugged, saving the day. "Who cares? What's important is that she remembered."

"Oh, would you stop it already?!" Winston exclaimed suddenly, his pale eyes were piercing right through her. "None of this is true! Can't you see it's a trap?"

Moon put her face in her hands wearily.

 _For God's sake, not this again..._

"Go shuck yourself, Winston!" Ben snapped at him. "God, you and that paranoia of yours!"

"You're jacked, man," Frypan nodded. "We have a chance to get out of here and you start to go crazy?"

"How can you not see it?" Winston just shook his head in disbelief. "That was her plan all along! That she recalled some memories? Bullshit! She's remembered everything from the start!"

"Let's be clear, Winston," Moon said calmly, looking straight into his eyes. "If I really am the one you always took me for and have come here to kill you all - you in particular wouldn't have been breathing for a long time now."

The Slicer's eyes flashed something dark and Moon wanted to smile at the thought that he could refuse to follow her into the Maze and stay here. She could get rid of him once and for all.

"Drop it, Winston, it's not funny anymore," Newt said severely. "After twelve days we are going out, so until then you put yourself together."

"No," Alby suddenly said. "After twelve days, no one leaves."

Moon's eyes widened as she looked at the leader.

"What the hell are you talking about? Why not?!"

 _For Christ's sake, has he joined Winston's side?!_

"Because Minho was right," he replied firmly. "We can't put all the Gladers inside the part of the Maze, which is riddled with Grievers and rely just on your instincts that you will get us out of there immediately."

Moon's mouth fell open. She turned to Newt, and she could clearly read a deep disappointment in his face. There was no doubt that he had already circled that day in his metaphorical calendar.

"You and Minho are going into that section alone," Alby said. "You will find the exit and we will leave the next time."

The terrible thing was, that Minho seemed to agree with his proposal.

"It will take another month!" Moon exclaimed, swallowed by terror.

"We've been here long enough to survive another month," Minho said casually.

 _Speak for yourself, you slinthead! I can't stand another day!_

"Hell no! There has to be another way!"

"You got a better idea?" Alby scowled at her. "Or are you going to risk all of our lives just because you can't sit on your ass and wait?"

"I'll climb the wall!" Moon offered, hope returning into her heart. "I'll find the exit tomorrow and we can leave in twelve days!"

"That would actually work," Minho said thoughtfully.

"Hell no!" Newt and Alby exclaimed simultaneously.

"You're not climbing on another wall, no!" Alby said. "Not climbing the wall was officially added to our rules!"

Moon's eyes quickly scanned the rest of the Gladers and they seemed to be thinking about it. Except Winston, who appeared to be in the process of discovering that, however hard you tried, you couldn't kill someone with one look.

"Let's vote on it," the black haired girl said innocently.

"No voting!" Alby shouted angrily. _There goes the democracy._ "Nothing like that! You and Minho will find the exit after twelve days!"

"I'll go with you," Ben said. "And Kail should also go. More eyes find more stuff."

"Okay," Alby nodded. "It's decided."

Moon agreed; she certainly was decided. She felt Newt's eyes on her, carefully studying her, and tried to act naturally. Once he looked away from her for a moment, she looked at her Keeper. Minho looked at her as well and nodded, very inconspicuously. That was all she needed. She would climb the wall tomorrow. They would be leaving after twelve days.

"I don't understand how can you be so blind?" Winston spoke up again.

"Shut your hole, Winston," Minho said. "You're the only one here who still believes in this klunk."

"I also think that we shouldn't go," Gally said.

All attention turned to him and Moon was grabbed by a desire to jump into Winston's face. If he had persuaded Gally…

"What did you say?" Alby asked sharply.

"It could be a trap," Gally said bitterly. "And not necessarily hers, but something just does not fit. Think about it - Minho and the others were running in the Maze for years and never found anything. The Creators may want her to remember so we're lured into a trap."

"And why would they do that?" Frypan asked.

"Isn't it a bit convoluted?" Alby frowned.

"Maybe they got bored, what do I know?" the Builder snorted. "Why would they do anything? No one has died for a long time…"

"What about Adam? I would hardly call it a long time," Moon said bitterly.

"Do you really mean it, Gally?" Newt shook his head at him. "We shouldn't use our chance at freedom because you don't feel right about it?"

"Do what you want," Gally growled and stood up, knocking his chair aside. "But I'm not going anywhere."

He left the cabin, slamming the door behind him. Moon's eyes narrowed.

 _What the hell was that?_ Gally just left, just like that? No long arguments, nothing? Strange... Before she even realized she was on her feet, heading out from the cabin.

"Where the hell are you going, Greenie?" Alby frowned at her.

Moon almost rolled her eyes.

 _Isn't it obvious?_

"I'm going after him."

"What the shuck?! No way! Get back here - this Gathering isn't over yet!"

Moon didn't even turn, closing the door behind her.

 _Bite me, Admiral._

It was a damn good feeling - just walking away from furious Alby, although she was carefully watching her back, finding it all too likely either he or Winston would explode from the building any second, wielding an axe.

Gally was headed toward the Homestead, fists clenched.

"Save your breath, Greenie," he spat at her once she approached him. "Not even a bit interested in what you want to say."

"That suits me," Moon nodded casually. "I wanted you to do the talking." Gally grunted and speeded up his pace. The black haired girl didn't give up. "Any explanation would be nice. Any."

"I already said - it doesn't seem right," the Builder muttered. "Leave me alone."

"So you simply have gone nuts, I take it?" she said with a raised eyebrow. "There is a way out and you just say 'no thanks'?"

Gally finally stopped and turned to her, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You don't get it."

"Then explain it to me."

"You wouldn't understand. You've been here… how long, two weeks? I've been here three years, Greenie. We've worked hard on this place, day and night - all so that we would be able to survive here, and people were dying during the process. It wasn't easy. So, in my opinion, it is a stupid thing to do - just run into the labyrinth, just because some shank dreamed up a way out. "

Dreamed up. That's what he thought it was, huh? Just her imagination? Moon felt bitterness in her heart. Why did she care what was he thinking? She could have left them here. She could have just run, climbed the wall and been out. She pressed her lips together and took a moment to calm down. Then, she looked up to the tall boy, a slight smile on her lips.

"So… you are just a coward."

Something dangerous flashed through Gally's eyes and he pushed her forcefully away from him. In that moment, she realized how strong Gally actually was. He shoved her and it felt like a cannon ball hitting her right in the chest. Moon collapsed on the ground hard, feeling a stinging pain in her back. But strangely, she didn't feel any hate towards him in that moment. She wasn't angry. Unexpectedly, a slight smile remained on her lips. Because she just made him break one of his beloved rules.

"Are you shucking kidding me, Gally!?"

Newt. He had a serious talent for appearing just at the right moment. Moon saw him as he was angrily limping towards them. He reached down for her, pulling her onto her feet, glaring at Gally.

"That's okay," Moon said calmly. "I just slipped."

"No, you didn't!" Newt yelled at her, his dark eyes full of anger, turning to Gally again, who was looking at her suspiciously. "I'm not stupid, Moon! I actually have eyes, ya know?!"

"Oh, yeah, I noticed, don't worry," Moon chuckled. But no, it didn't quite work as a distraction because Newt turned away from her after a second. He noticed that Gally had started to walk away.

"GALLY!" he shouted, rushing after the Builder.

"Don't make a scene, Newt!" she called after him. "It was just..."

Wait. What was she doing? Was she really just defending Gally? And why was that? She shook her head, trying to collect her thoughts. For some reason, it made her feel good when she saw Newt so angry, which she couldn't about situations in which he was furious with her…

 _Wait a minute. Is Gally going into the Pit?_

Moon's lips stretched into a mischievous smile and it faded immediately when she saw Newt struggling with his foot to keep up with Gally's pace. She began to feel sad, so she turned her head away from them, just in time to see that two Gladers are heading towards her. Ben and Zart. And God - they didn't look happy.

"Okay. Let's do this, boys," she crossed her arms as soon as they approached, not letting them say a word. "I can't undo what I've done, so what do you want from me?"

Ben's frown deepened.

"Is there anything else that you're not telling us?"

Moon had 'no' on her tongue. But, on the other hand…

"Yes. There definitely is. Some things I'm not gonna tell you. Like ever."

Zart shook his head at her in disbelief.

"What? At least, I'm being honest…"

"I'd tell you where you and your honesty can go," Ben said bitterly.

Moon nodded.

"Fair enough. But let me tell you something, guys... I really hate the Pit."

Ben and Zart were just staring at her. Her big revelation didn't work like she had expected.

"Seriously. I can't stand it. So yes, I obeyed Alby and didn't tell you a thing, even though I really wanted to. But now you know, right? So why don't you focus on the fact, that you're actually getting out?"

Zart's hard expression eased a little.

"After all this time… it's just so unbelievable."

"How long have you been here?" Moon asked.

"Almost two years," Ben said with a slight smile. "We actually came in the box in a row. I kept an eye on little Zartie here." He playfully punched him in the arm.

"No, you didn't," Zart frowned. "The first thing you ever said to me was 'You're the Greenie now. Suck it up!'"

"Yeah, that was a pep talk."

"No, it wasn't!"

"Well, it was supposed to be!"

"Just drop it," the Track-Hoe rolled his eyes.

Moon chuckled, honestly pitying Zart.

"Were you thinking… you know… what would be the first thing you do when you get out?" she asked. Honestly, she didn't even think about it yet. Maybe because she didn't remember how the world out there actually looked and if it was still the same.

"I don't know," Zart said, frowning. "But… do we even have anything to return to?"

"Way to be shucking dark, Zart," Ben narrowed his eyes at him.

"Think about it, shank. They trapped us here when we were still kids and no one ever came to rescue us. Maybe the world is over and there is no one looking for us."

"You can't think like that, Zart," Moon shook her head. "This thing could be happening and normal people wouldn't know klunk about it. Maybe they kidnapped us and we were considered lost. Anyway, let's not sink into depression. Let's pretend the world out there is normal - what is the first thing you wanna do?"

"I would like to have a coke," Ben said before Zart could answer. "That is actually only one thing that I know about myself - that I drank a lot of sweet drinks. I'd love to wave water bye-bye for at least a decade."

His answer brought a smile on Moon's lips.

"The hell of a sportsman you are!"

Ben just made a grimace at her. "When we're out - I'm out! I will drink coke and gain at least ten pounds!"

"Same here," Zart nodded. "I'd have some pizza. And just hanging out in front of TV. A lot of TV, that would be nice."

"That's the deal then," Moon said. "When we get out - we're buying pizza and lots of coke, and spending like twelve days just watching TV."

Ben blinked at her in surprise.

"Wait, are you serious?"

"Deadly," she nodded. Because… what else should she do after getting her revenge? Looking for her family, whom she hadn't seen for at least five years?

"Deal," Zart smiled, holding out a hand.

Moon just grinned and put her own on top of his.

"Hell yeah!" Ben exclaimed, joining them. "Frypan would be definitely in as well!"

"We could bring also Clint and Jeff with us," Zart offered.

"God, imagine Clint drinking coke," Ben's eyes widened. "That's just impossible, man! We should definitely bring Chuckie though!"

"Hey, Greenie!"

Winston. Moon briefly closed her eyes before she turned to him. This shank probably had a mission to spoil every nice moment she could have.

"Long time no see, lad," Moon forced a smile. "No that I have missed you."

Winston's eyes narrowed - he obviously didn't come here to chat.

"Don't think that I don't know what you're doing," he growled at her.

Moon sighed theatrically, began rubbing her temples.

"Winston, you don't have the slightest idea what I'm doing."

"She's right, man, give it a rest," Ben stood next. "Enough is enough."

"I don't understand how you can be such idiots!" the boy shouted angrily. "Don't you have eyes to see what is going on here?!"

"What's going on?"

All four heads turned to look at the new intruder. It was Chuck. Like every kid, he had a talent for arriving at the most inconvenient times. But Moon didn't feel threatened by Winston in any way in that moment. Ben and Zart were there with her and on her side, and she was determined to sort this out calmly - there had been enough fights for today.

"Nothing's wrong, Chuck," she said softly. "How about-"

"Would you mind!?" Winston gritted through his teeth. "This doesn't concern you!"

"Well, if it's some other klunk about Moon being a spy, it concerns me," Chuck frowned, basing his arms. "Listen, shank, stop being such a slinthead. Everyone already knows that Moon-boon-"

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Winston snapped at him angrily. "You think I care about your opinion? The opinion of a brat who's been here barely a month? I've never seen someone so idiotic in all the time I've been here! So mind your own business, you useless piece of klunk!"

Moon wasn't breathing. She looked at the small curly boy right in time to see, how his eyes started to fill with tears. That did it. Winston could say almost anything about her and she wouldn't care because his opinion just simply didn't matter. Not anymore. Some boys might believe him, but she had got most of the Keepers on her side and they mattered the most. But at the moment he started insulting Chuck, her blood turned into lava. Her body moved automatically, filled with instantaneous rage, and she punched Winston right in the face. He fell on the ground and for a moment - it felt wonderful. She didn't even feel the pain in her hand - she had punched Winston right in his shuck-face! She wanted to do it for so long!

Then… it hit her. She just punched Winston.

 _Well… shit._


	17. Ups And Downs

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.**

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **Ups and Downs**

* * *

"One rule! ONE RULE that you hadn't broken yet!"

"Hey, hey! I always _did_ my part!"

"That's debatable!"

"WHAT?!"

Moon had expected many times that a situation would develop this way. And finally, there it was - Alby was forcibly dragging her towards the Pit, and she was resisting the best she could.

"I have a right to a court!" she demanded.

"Denied!" Alby snapped.

"Don't you even wanna know what happened?!" Moon growled angrily, as she finally managed to wriggle out of his grasp. Not very soon - the Pit was only three steps away.

"Okay," Alby said curtly, basing his arms on his chest. "You have thirty seconds."

"You know very well that Winston is an asshole," Moon quickly began her explanation. "He dragged Chuck into that, he said some very nasty-"

"That's your argument? He was rude?" Alby gave a cynical chuckle. "Words are not knives."

Moon snorted.

"Clearly, you have no idea…"

"She's right, man," Zart interjected, he and Ben finally caught up with them. "Winston deserved it."

"Did someone ask you?!" the leader snapped at him.

"I stand by what I did," the black haired girl said firmly.

"Sure you do," Alby replied tartly. "When was the last time that you acknowledged your mistake? Like… never?"

"I did it publicly and that was a mistake, I admit," said Moon shrewdly. "If I waited for him somewhere - it would be his word against mine."

"In that case, you both would go into the Pit," Alby said coldly.

"Oh, you don't want that, shank," Moon chuckled. "It would be like the Hunger Games."

The three boys turned to her their blank stares and Moon herself was a bit surprised. Where did that come from?

"Only one would be alive the next day," she explained them.

"Sounds like a win-win situation to me," Alby remarked, catching her wrist again before she managed to avoid his hand. "End of the defense."

"If you put her there, you'll have to throw me in there with her," Ben stood at her side. "If she didn't punch Winston, I'd do it myself."

"Same here," said Zart.

"Hah. I have an army now!" Moon sneered, amused and also very flattered.

"Moon, shut up," Ben told her.

"Right."

"This is a shucking rebellion," Alby was furious. "And you know what? I don't care! You all are going in there!"

"It was Winston who broke the rules!" Zart tried to argue. "He started it!"

"Psychological maltreatment is much worse than the physical one," Moon shared that deep wisdom and Alby looked at her, his eyes full of murder.

The black haired girl had to suppress the urge to cringe.

"I swear to God," he said in a dangerously low voice. "if any other word comes out of that mouth of yours-"

"Um, what's going on here?"

Moon was tempted to start dancing - Newt appeared as a last resort as always.

"Winston bullied Chuck. So I punched him in the face."

 _And really enjoyed it, thank you very much!_

"We were there," Ben added quickly, nodding. "He deserved it."

Newt frowned and paused for a little moment.

"That is a clear violation of the rules, what is taking you so long?" Alby looked at him, his eyes narrowed.

"Well, Moon already had her share of punishment - Gally took care of that," the blond boy said, his voice bitter. "And Winston violated rules as well. Today was difficult for everyone... Let's make an exception and let it go."

Moon did everything she could to not begin to smile. And it was so damn hard...

Alby shook his head in disbelief.

"You're starting to get on my nerves, my friend," he said to him angrily.

"Fine," Newt shrugged. "She will clean the kitchen after dinner tonight."

"That is so sexist!" Moon exclaimed. "You didn't even think about it, right? It's just - women belong to the kitchen-"

"Wanna clean the toilets instead?" Newt asked her sweetly.

"I'll be quiet now."

All eyes turned to Alby, all cautiously awaiting his response. He wasn't looking at one of his friends. He was looking at Moon, his eyes black with anger and resentment. And then, just as many times, he pointed at her.

"You're toxic," he hissed at her, then turned and with clenched fists began to walk away.

"Alby, wait..." Ben called after him, following him.

"That blow was a long time coming for Winston, you know that..." Zart joined them and all three soon went out of earshot.

"Maybe I should go after him," Newt said judiciously.

"I guess so," Moon said. If anyone could fix it, it was Newt. And this time, Alby was really out of it… Moon was beginning to fear for her life. She was gonna lock the door from the room tonight.

"One more thing."

Newt turned to her, leaning to her, very close. Moon blinked in confusion because he wasn't smiling or frowning. His expression was unreadable and his dark eyes hot.

"Try to lie to me again and you'll sleep outside," he told her very seriously, she had no doubt that he meant every word.

Moon swallowed nervously.

"Oh, please," she smiled a little uncertainly. "You wouldn't last one night without me."

But Newt didn't smile. He straightened up and without a word went after Alby. Moon sighed wearily, watching his back.

"You're making trouble wherever you move, huh?" said a voice beside her haughtily.

Moon turned to Minho, who stood beside her, his muscular arms folded across his chest. And she had a more important thing on her mind than to be offended. She quickly looked around to be sure, that no one could hear them.

"So, we're doing this, right?" she asked. "I'll climb the Wall and find the way out?"

Minho crouched his eyebrows.

"Nah, I've changed my mind," he said in the matter of fact way.

"You did what?!" Minho had real talent. He could piss her off in one single second. "What the shuck, Minho?!"

"Think about it," the Runner rolled his eyes. "I know it's hard for you but try. If you fall and die - we're screwed. You're our best shot for finding the way out and I can't risk that we lose it just because of your clumsy ass."

Moon glaring at him, biting her lip.

 _Don't punch him, don't punch him, the Pit is not worth it!_

"… Seriously, man. Did I ever mention how much I hate you? Because it's shucking infinity much!"

"Yeah, yeah, enough with the sweet talk," Minho waved his hand. "We still got a job to do."

"Nope. Not me."

Minho blinked blankly.

"Come again?"

"My work here is done. I found the way out. Do I need to repeat that? I found the freaking way out. If I'm not climbing the Wall - I'm not doing anything till the day new Greenie arrives."

 _There you go! I'm gonna put my foot down!_

Minho stepped closer to her. Why was he always doing that anyway? Was he trying to intimidate her or what? What a show-off.

"You either running your usual… or slopping. Your choice."

"Fine," she snarled and stepped aside from Mr. My-wide-shoulders-could-cover-the-sun. "But I'm running with Ben."

 _He will be easy to convince. Maybe I could take him in Section 8 with me…_

"No."

 _Damn it!_

"I wanna run with Ben! Why can't I run with Ben?!"

"Do you think I was born yesterday or what?! And shut up!"

If anyone hadn't told her at least three times a day to finally shut her mouth - that day wasn't worth mentioning.

xXxXx

"Actually, you're quite contradicting yourself, you know?"

"Hm..."

"You said that you don't wanna risk our only chance to find the way out, but you are letting me run around in the Maze. What are the chances that I get eaten by a Griever?"

"That's why we run only the inner section, Einstein. I have to be sure that the rules of the game haven't changed…"

"What do you mean?"

"Think a little. We now know something. But they also know that we know. And if we know that they know that we know - they could use it and totally dig the whole system in the Maze, you know?"

"Um… right. But anyway. There's still the chance that we'll run into a Griever."

"I never thought that I would live to see a moment when you don't want to be in the Maze."

Minho was right. The situation had changed. But he just didn't get it. The Maze was the only way for her to find a way out. A riddle, which she already solved, so why do it again? Additionally, it wasn't only seemed like a meaningless waste of time and on top of that, she was constantly threatened by the attack of a wild mechanical animal - it was also incredibly tempting. During her time as a Runner, she didn't know the Maze perfectly. She didn't remember every corner or every shucking stone as Minho did, but she knew the way to the section 8. And it was horribly difficult to resist the temptation to flee. Just to distract the Keeper of Runners with something and lose him in the fog. He would surely forgive her if she would find the exit. Just one last little scam, and tomorrow they could be-

"Don't even think about it, Tiny," Minho said firmly.

When Moon turned to him, his black eyes were narrowed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said calmly.

"'Course you do," the Runner retorted. "But sure, go ahead and try it. We'll have a small reprise from the past and I'll wipe the floor with you. From the eleven days of waiting would suddenly become eleven days in the Pit."

Moon frowned. Why was he so suddenly so stubborn about it? After all, it wasn't so long ago when he was all for it.

"You know how long a time eleven days is, Minho?" she asked, her voice completely serious.

The boy turned away, staring into the Maze.

"I do."

"Nothing much, huh? But you know what's worse? Forty days."

"..."

"One whole damn month, when we are going to sit on our asses, knowing that there is a way out. Can you imagine?"

"We've been through worse," Minho spat, her words had apparently irritated him. But that was, after all, a target.

"Nothing like that," Moon shook her head. "None of you has ever found the way out."

"We haven't find it yet," said the Runner pointedly.

"Twenty-nine days," the black haired girl wasn't giving up. "With the knowing that we could have leave this hell. You're going to think about it a lot, you know? Every minute of every single day."

"Shut up, damn it."

"Why wait forty days, if you can wait just eleven?"

"I said that's enough!"

"Don't be such a coward, Minho."

That was the last straw. Minho spun around, grabbed her backpack buckles and violently slammed her against the wall of the Maze. She could feel a dull pain in her back, but it was still better than if he would hit her. She looked into his eyes - he fumed.

"You really don't know when to shut up, do you?" he growled at her.

"I don't like when the plan changes," Moon said. "Especially when I have absolutely no idea why."

"Because unlike you, I do keep my promises," Minho told her angrily, letting go of her.

Moon blinked. _But who would...?_

That idea didn't need a completion - the answer was clear as the sun.

"Newt."

"Yeah," Minho replied bitterly. "Newt."

"That makes no sense," Moon shook her head. "He couldn't know-"

"Newt is not an idiot, Tiny," he interrupted impatiently. "Of course he realized that you would go against Alby's decision. Just like you always do. So predictable."

Moon bit her lip. He was right, it actually made a perfect sense. And Newt was once again one step ahead of her. But no, this still wasn't over yet... She could still turn it around.

"How is that you got convinced so easily?" Moon asked wryly. "Were you really so afraid to take a risk?"

"Don't think for a moment this is about you. I don't even care about you that much." It stung. Keenly and directly at the heart. "But Newt has done a lot for me and I owe him this one."

"Forty days? You repay your debt by giving him another forty days in this hellhole?" Moon shook her head. "Newt wants to get out of here, trust me, he really does. He may have doubts, but if it worked, he would surely-"

"Newt would have tried to stop anyone who volunteered to climb the wall, so don't think that you're unique," Minho interrupted her flatly. "He is playing it safe, he always does, and even though it's not exactly my style, I can accept it. Because and now listen to me very carefully - of the two of us I'm the responsible one."

Moon snorted. _Seriously?_

"Have I really fallen so far?"

"No, you were always there," Minho replied, folding his arms. "Did you think that you got better? That you're not an outsider anymore? You are wrong. Yes, we all have our differences but above all that - we are a group. And you're not a team player. Do you think that you can do all the decisions alone and ignore the opinions of others? So guess what, you can't and you won't. You're not always right. Actually, you're barely ever right. You should be aware of that, due to the fact that you will spend the next forty days with us. It will make your life a lot easier."

Moon clenched her fists. She hated speeches and Minho's were probably even worse than Alby's. What gave them the right to treat her this way? The fact that she's new? That she is a girl? What was the reason, damn it?

Let them say what they want, Moon didn't care. They spent a whole three years in this freaking hole - this was her eighteenth day and during that time, she managed more things than all of them. Even though that they tried to stop her, even though that they stood in her way - she discovered the dome and found the way out. And maybe that was the reason of Minho's irritation. That she found the way out…

"You are envious of me, aren't you?" she smirked at him.

Minho's eyes narrowed even more.

"What did you say?"

Somewhere in her heart, she knew that she shouldn't answer that question. But it was too late and there is nothing more dangerous than a wounded pride of a stubborn girl.

"Until now it was all 'Minho, the best of all Runners'. But you can be good as you want - I'll always be the Runner who found the way out. And that's all that matters."

Minho's whole body tensed, his hands clenched in firm fists. The line was crossed. She couldn't go back now.

"I'd like to remind you still haven't found it yet," he said, his voice dangerously low.

"I'll find it," Moon said coldly, refusing to flinch.

"You're a Runner just because of me," Minho spoke up again, a little louder. "Have you already forgotten that!?"

"Then you've done something right during those three years," Moon heard herself to say.

For some time, they stared at each other. And everyone would say that in that moment, none of them was alerted at all. Finally, Minho's hands relaxed and he snorted.

"Sometimes I just can't understand how could I ever stand you."

"At least, we feel the same way."

xXxXx

The Gate closed behind her and she wasn't exactly feeling the best. And for once, it didn't have anything to do with this place. Although it was strange because she and Minho were arguing all the time. Almost every day they were in each other's hair, but those disagreements always somehow faded away and they could do, that nothing happened. And Moon had the impression that after this one it wouldn't be so easy…

But whatever. He deserved it. He insulted her first. Actually, he has been insulting her every day, and he didn't care if it bothered her or not. Although one could say that this was mutual... And it was actually her who called him a coward and, of course, Minho's ego couldn't handle that. Moon sighed and running her hand through her hair, she was watching the Runner's retreating back.

 _ **"You're not always right. Actually, you're barely ever right."**_

Nothing could hurt more than the truth.

"Moon?"

The black haired girl blinked, not even noticing that she was approached by a small curly boy.

"What is it?"

"Alby was just talking to me," _Oh, that explains the wide smile._ "You did it. You actually made it."

Moon chuckled. There was, at least, one person who wasn't disappointed in her.

"Did you doubt me or what?"

"Not a bit," Chuck said. "But I really didn't expect you to do it so quickly."

"Well, I'd hate to let you wait," Moon smiled at him.

The boy grinned at her and stepped closer.

"I wanted to tell you something else."

"Go ahead."

"Winston has one big-ass monocle!" he whispered and immediately began to giggle. Moon joined him quietly. "You should have seen him when he found out that you're not going in the Pit. He nearly burst with rage!"

"Oh," Moon suddenly sighed, face-palming. "I forgot!"

"About what?" Chuck blinked.

"I'm not going in the Pit, but I still got a punishment. I'm cleaning up the kitchen after dinner! Damn it!"

"I'll do it!" Chuck offered helpfully. "Like a payback! I know you hit him for me and I this way I can thank you!"

Moon looked at the younger boy. How could someone like that survive in a society of such vagabonds so long? Oh, yeah... Newt was there. "That would be great, Chuck, but..."

"But what?"

"You know that Frypan won't let you anywhere near his kitchen..."

xXxXx

Moon returned from the kitchen late and after a day of giving punches, running and cleaning, she was really tired. Surprised, she found out that Newt was not in their room. She sat down on the chest and spend some time to convince her exhausted body to help her to change. It ignored her demands completely.

Soon after, Newt opened the door and walked in. No big deal. Except that he was half naked. With a short towel around his waist.

"Hi, there," he greeted her casually.

Moon took a few seconds to put together her thoughts.

"Um... you took a shower?"

 _Great! A brilliant and highly intelligent question! Bravo!_

Newt shrugged, as if unaware of the situation. Maybe he really was. They lived together in one room for eighteen days and never anything like this happened. Mostly because they were changing in the showers, but when Moon looked back, those other cases were really just a coincidence.

"I like to take a shower in the evening," the blond boy said.

"Right," Moon replied weakly.

 _Do not look at him! Look down!_

Finally, she managed to lower her eyes politely. But they never reached the floor because something had caught her attention. Something about what she had known for a long time, but never really had the chance to see it. Newt's left leg. Even at first glance, it was pretty clear which leg was the wounded one. His right leg was perfectly healthy and straight, but the left one had a bump below the knee and it certainly shouldn't be there. With a bit of imagination Moon could see how it looks on the inside. The bone shifted into a bad position because it didn't heal correctly...

"I can't believe that I'm telling you this, Moony, but my eyes are up here," Newt said playfully.

Moon looked up at him, confused.

"Huh, what?" she asked, without really listening to him. Meanwhile, her mind was running at its full speed.

"You were staring-"

"Sorry, I have to be somewhere."

Without another word, she rushed from their room and ran to the Med-Jack's cottage. She totally forgot that she was fatally tired just a few moments ago. When she opened the door, her eyes were immediately caught by a ginger hair. Clint was still there.

"Moon?"

"Well, hello!" she greeted him distractedly, heading directly towards the bookshelf.

The young doctor rose from his chair.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Moon muttered, putting a heavy book on the table and furiously going through pages.

"No, you couldn't. I'm a Med-Jack," Clint frowned in confusion. "You're not anymore. In addition, it's quite late and… You came to explain to me how it is possible that you "remembered" the way out?"

 _Ah, hell no, not this right now, please._

Moon decided to ignore the redheaded boy and rather quickly searched the contents of the book. For God's sake, it had so many pages. She found the correct number and started looking.

"Moon..."

Two hundred thirty, two hundred sixty...

"Moon."

Finally! The correct image welcomed her on the right page. She knew she had seen it before, now she could easily find out-

"Moon!" Clint lost his patience and firmly placed his hand on the book to get her attention. "What are you up to?"

Okay, this may sound crazy, but she's gonna need his help anyway. She took a breath and slowly looked up at him.

"I want to fix Newt's leg."

 **Hi! I know, it's been a while so I hope you still remember me. :) It's been really crazy lately, I've been through exams and then I had some trouble with my laptop… but anyway I'm back now. And I hope that I'll be able to update regularly from now on. :)**

 **For the chapter: I'm really trying to NOT turn this story into a classic sweet fairytale like "Once upon a time, there was a girl and they didn't really like her at first, but after some time they got use to her and now everything is awesome!" I'm trying to be a little more realistic and to be honest - Moon isn't the easiest person to deal with. She is sort of "always being right" and "having the last word" kinda person and in my opinion, there is no way that Minho would be okay with that. After all, she can get herself into a fight with someone so reasonable and sensible as Newt! (Really don't know why she just doesn't do what he says, since he's awesome and always right… Ehm.) So yeah, I suppose that Minho and Moon have lots of fights ahead of them, but that's what happen when a hurricane meets a volcano. :)**

 **Delayed response to reviews (sorry!):**

 **: Thank you very much! :)**

 **Chloe: Totally agree, I think that the tension is great. :) You're not paradoxical at all, while watching a movie or something - I always want two people to get together, but I think that the energy before that happen is even more awesome. :) Thank you very much for your comment and sorry for keeping you waiting!**

 **Fight4Whales: Thanks! :)**

 **BlueGreen216: Thank you very much, I'm not a fan of those stories also, so I will definitely try not to rush anything. :) Oh, and Moon didn't get any serum. There is no such a thing in my story - after they get stung, they have sort of 50-50 chance to survive. I like it better that way. :)**

 **Onyx628: Never really think about it, but I really like Noon! :D It's kinda funny and lightweight. Thank you very much, hope you enjoy next chapters! :)**

 **PS: Yes, there will be another time jump in the story. So basically what I'm saying is, that Thomas will be here sooner, than you think. :)**

 **Hope you like this chapter and let me know your thoughts! :) See ya!**


	18. Have a Chance

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.**

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **Have A Chance**

* * *

Moon was looking the young Med-Jack dead in the eye, waiting, but he said nothing. His whole face somehow dropped and he slowly sat down on one of the folding chairs that were in the hut. Moon studied him with narrowed eyes for a while.

"Honestly, I've expected a bit different response, Clint," she told him.

"And what did you expect?" the red haired boy lifted his eyes to her wearily.

"I don't know… Probably anything except for what you're doing right now," Moon said honestly. "Some yelling, some laughing… Coming aboard immediately?"

"Yeah," Clint drawled out hesitantly. "I don't think we should do it."

Moon cocked her head. This meant nothing to her. Clint wasn't one to go headfirst into anything, she wasn't giving up so easily.

"And do you have a reason you would like to share with the rest of the class?" she asked him with a sweet tone.

Clint rolled his eyes over her remark.

"It's quite simple, Moon. Newt will never allow us to."

Moon frowned, eyeing the young doctor carefully.

"Why do I have a feeling that this is not the first time you've had this conversation?"

Clint rubbed his face wearily, leaning his elbows on the table.

"It's complicated... Newt was injured when... Well, one day a new Greenie showed up. His name was Mason and he was-"

"Yeah, I know," the black haired girl interrupted him impatiently. "Newt told me. Mason didn't follow the order so you stuck him in the Pit. Once he got out, he ran away with some other Gladers and they all died."

Clint nodded slowly, deeply immersed in his own thoughts.

"Did Newt tell you how Mason got out of the Pit?"

Moon is immediately halted and sat down across from him. If there was some more to the story, she wanted to know.

"How?" she asked, urging him to continue.

Clint hesitated.

"That day we lost our former leader Nick," he said mournfully. "There has never been a greater chaos in the Glade before - people were either totally depressed, frightened or planning to escape and I was the only Med-Jack at the time. One of the Gladers came to me - he was among the youngest then. He came to tell me that some strange noises were coming out of the Pit and that Mason has probably having trouble breathing. That wasn't very big surprise to me, you know?" Clint gave her a rueful smile. "Gally, Nick and Alby worked him up real good the day before…"

Moon bit her lip. She already knew where this story was heading and the idea of a small Clint in the presence of the boy, whose managing required three other boys wasn't exactly pleasant.

"Mason was a really good actor - I really thought he was going to suffocate," Clint said bitterly, and he sounded as if he wished that was the case. "As soon as I opened the Pit, he stopped pretending. The whole thing was a trap, Mason set it up with the other boy, and I bought it. When I approached him, he hit me with a stone on the head so hard that I spent the next three days in a coma. It took me a while before I got out of it, so I wasn't there when they brought half-dead Newt from the Maze. His leg was broken in two places so it wasn't a very big surprise that they failed to straighten it properly…"

"But you could have, right?" Moon asked. "You could have done it?"

Clint lowered his eyes.

"Maybe…"

"So what's the deal?"

"You don't understand, Moon," Clint shook his head. "I offered it to him."

The black haired girl blinked in surprise. Well, this was definitely new…

"I've never seen him so angry," the red haired boy admitted. "Yeah, everybody was pretty dismayed at the time, but Newt had never spoken to me like that. Basically, he told me he wasn't going to risk what was left of his foot so I could play doctor…" The boy shook his head as if he still couldn't wrap his mind around it. "As if he was ashamed of it, or something…"

 _That's because he was ashamed._

Moon looked away from him, trying to keep a neutral expression.

 _He still is…_

"Back then it was a different time," she said with an easy tone. "But this is it - we are going out of here. We're gonna have to run. Newt will have to run."

"Yeah, I see your point," Clint nodded. "But Newt-"

"I can convince him," Moon said in a firm voice. "He's not an idiot, he will surely understand that this is exactly what he needs. Question for you, tough - do you know how to do it?"

Clint hesitated.

"Moon-"

"Do you?"

"In theory, yes," Clint replied. "You realize that we would have to break his leg in order to fix it, right?"

Moon got goose bumps all over as soon as the words were spoken. Of course, she knew, it was inevitable. But her wild imagination drew a picture for her in her head and it was just… great to look at.

"I've never done it before. Once I broke Gally's badly healed finger, but that's all…"

"That's basically the same thing, right?"

Clint frowned at her.

"I'm quite glad that you're no longer a Med-Jack, Moon."

Moon rolled her eyes.

"Slim it and tell me what we're gonna need."

The redheaded boy lifted his hands up and started to rub his face tiredly. Moon could tell he was thinking about it, but he was taking too long.

"I'm still waiting, Clint."

"Go to sleep, Moon," Clint said. "We can't do anything today, anyway. Sleep on it, think about it. If you're gonna think it's still a good idea tomorrow - we'll talk about it."

Moon came back to Homestead as quietly as was humanly possible. She had no idea for how long her and Clint had talked, but the whole building seemed pretty quiet. When she finally got into their room, Newt was already sleeping. Moon kind of expected him to wait for her with the strictest face he could have managed, but tiredness seemed to get the best of him. She couldn't help but smile when she saw he was stretching, taking over far more than a half of their mattress. She lay down next to him quietly and really thought she finally managed to sneak in without waking him up, but…

"Where the hell have you been, you troublemaker?" Newt murmured sleepily behind her back.

Moon bit her lip, scolding herself in her mind.

"Nowhere," she whispered back.

"Yeah, I figured," Newt mumbled quietly, turned around and went back to sleep.

Moon knew what had to be done. She also knew it was going to be horrible and there was a bottomless pit creating in her stomach from the thought. She couldn't remember ever being so scared of tomorrow, as she was right now. Not even her first night here…

xXxXx

The next morning, she flung the door of Med-Jack's hut open.

"It is a good idea."

"Who was I kidding when I thought you could change your mind?" Clint heavily sighed without lifting his eyes from a book he was reading. Coming closer, Moon couldn't help but notice dark shadows under his eyes.

"Geez, did you sleep at all?" she asked.

Clint looked up, giving her an unamused look.

"If we do this the wrong way, we could make it even worse for Newt. As he wouldn't even have to be able to walk again. So what do you think?"

"Um... so bad dreams?"

"I want you to stop for a second, Moon, and think. Just think about what could happen if we do this, okay?"

"I did," Moon told him in all seriousness. "I was also thinking about what could happen if we don't. What would most likely happen."

Clint probably knew by now that it was pointless to argue with her. He got up and walked out of the hut - Moon followed him briskly.

"We're gonna need vinegar," the Med-Jack started to list. "Planks for fixation, duct tape…"

"Alright," Moon nodded. "I'll get it."

"No, I'll get those," Clint corrected her. "Your concern should be Newt… and getting someone else aboard, someone really strong."

"Someone strong?" Moon blinked in surprise.

"It hardly could be you or me, who will do the breaking. It's a very strong bone," he explained patiently.

"Do you anyone particular in mind?"

Clint took a moment to think.

"Gally is the strongest," he said eventually. "But given the fact that he hates your guts and won't be willing to do anything that was your idea…"

"We're screwed?" Moon supplied.

"Well… there's an option B," Clint said and nodded towards the woods. Nearby and heading into the Map room was walking Minho.

 _You've gotta be kidding me…_

Moon suppressed a sigh filled with frustration.

"That's just great…"

Moon really didn't want to do this one. She really, really didn't, but she also had to admit that Minho was probably their best option. Next in the line was Terry, and him Moon hated almost as much as Winston. Then maybe Ben, but Moon seriously doubted that the Runner had a stomach for something like this. And to be honest, she actually didn't know if _she_ had a stomach for something like this…

"Minho!"

The Runner didn't turn around, giving any sign at all that he even heard her. He just went on, deeper into the forest. Moon knew he wouldn't stop just for anything, so she sped up and got in front of him.

"Wait... Can we press a pause on this?" she asked in a calm voice.

Moon saw Minho angry multiple times. Well, he was angry with her almost all the time, but this mode - his pitch black eyes just looking coldly down at her - that was new.

"I have nothing to say you," Minho said tartly and walked around her. "And I'm sure as hell not interested in your BS."

"I'm sorry, okay?"

That stopped him. He even turned to face her, basing his arms, his gaze penetrating.

 _What the hell this shank want?_

"Okay," Moon sighed, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "I shouldn't have said what I said. It was… I was really upset and you once again acted like a total ass-... Hm. Let me start over."

"Save it," Minho snorted and started to walk again.

Moon grabbed his elbow.

"I really need to talk to you about something."

Minho shook her hand off as if it was a pesky fly.

"Go talk to Newt. He's the only one able to put up with you anyway, but that will hardly last much longer…"

Moon frowned, trying to keep her head cool. Beside the voice in her head, which was saying 'you need him' appeared another, much louder voice, which was screaming 'screw that bastard!', but Moon was trying to breathe it out.

"I would love to," she said, her voice strained. "But it wouldn't be exactly helpful given the fact it's about him."

Minho stopped. After a moment of hesitation, he mercifully turned to her once more, giving her a very annoyed look.

"You have two minutes."

So Moon told him her plan. As quickly and plainly as she could. And with her every word, Minho's frown had deepened a little more, until he just couldn't stand it anymore.

"Unbelievable…" he let out, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I know, but listen-"

"Is there anything you're not willing to stick your nose into?" Minho snapped.

 _This is gonna end well…_

"Minho."

"I can't believe this!"

"Minho..."

"Do you really have to be so shucking nosy?!"

"This isn't about me," Moon said firmly. It was seriously weird that she managed to stay calm all this time.

"Oh, it isn't?" Minho sneered sarcastically. "Isn't everything?!"

 _Stay calm, stay calm… Do not yell, do not flip this idiot off, you're doing this for Newt..._

"It's about Newt," Moon managed to get out calmly. "About his possibilities."

Minho's eyes narrowed.

"What the hell are you even talking about?"

"Think it over," Moon challenged him. "I know you're not dumb enough to not know what's coming. So before you just wave it off, think about it. We got another forty days in this hole…" _Thank you, Alby._ "But then it's over, we're leaving… We'll run right in the Maze and I presume - given the fact that the Creators most likely know what we're about to do - that the Grievers will be waiting with open claws. We will be running for our lives. Who do you think is the slowest one in the Glade? Who do you think is going to be the last one at the very end, the easiest prey of us all?"

There was a silence for a long while, and Minho stared at her the whole time, his eyes unreadable. It was quite a challenge for Moon's impatience, but she bit her lip and stayed quiet. For Newt.

"You are…" Minho finally spoke up. "God, I hate you."

"Okay, so that means-"

"If I'm going to do this," he interrupted her firmly. "I'm not gonna do it for you."

"Of course, you're not," Moon quickly nodded, not believing she was really able to get him aboard.

"It's for Newt," Minho specified.

"Of course, it is."

"It'll be best if Alby doesn't know," he added.

"Everything is better that way."

"Fine," Minho said, his eyes narrowed. "Then I'm in."

"Great," Moon let out, quite relieved. "Guess I'm gonna tell Newt then…"

Minho's eyes widened immediately.

"What?! You didn't tell him yet?!"

"Why? You wanna tell him?" Moon raised her eyebrows.

"That we want to break his leg? No, thanks."

"How brave," Moon remarked dryly. "Go help Clint then, leave Newt to me…" "Yeah," Minho drawled out gloatingly. "Good luck with that."

He left her there and Moon didn't move for a while, trying to persuade herself to action. _Come on, it's Newt…_ In this situation, she would rather go talk to anyone else. Maybe even Winston. But… what was the worst thing that could happen?

 _Whoa! Let's not go there…_

xXxXx

Moon managed to find Newt pretty quickly - he was in their room. When she walked in, he was just going through some stuff he had in the wooden chest. He immediately looked up and smiled, apparently in a very good mood today.

"There you are! I wondered where you disappeared this morning…"

"Yeah…" Moon drawled out hesitantly. "We need to talk."

Newt's brows slightly furrowed, as he was trying to read in her expression.

"Should I be worried?" he asked.

"You should… probably sit down."

"Come on, M," Newt chuckled to relieve the tension a bit. "You kinda freaking me out… What have you done?"

"Nothing," Moon replied. _Nothing yet._

Newt was nothing like Minho. He let her finish her whole story, not interrupting her once. Moon couldn't help but think that he mainly did that because he was hoping until the very end the story was going to take a twist and it would be about something entirely different.

When she saw his eyes darkening as the time went on, she knew it wasn't a good sign. But when he just wordlessly took them off her and just started to stare into nothing, that was much worse.

Moon finally stopped talking after what seemed like an eternity and waited for his reaction. Newt didn't have to take a moment, he didn't let the room sink into uncomfortable silence.

"No," was all he said. Moon would actually prefer the silence.

She quietly cleared her throat, trying to not lose hope yet.

"… I beg you pardon?"

"You heard me," Newt said bluntly without even looking at her. "No."

It would be so much better if he was screaming. Everything would be so much better than this.

"… Care to elaborate?" Moon asked lightly.

"I don't have to elaborate anything, Moon," he shot back, still not taking his eyes off that damn wall. "That's my bloody answer and I don't care if you don't like it."

This looked bad, it really seemed like the end. But Moon couldn't just let it go, knowing what was at stake. This wasn't about pride, this wasn't about stubbornness… this was about him.

"Clint is pretty sure that he could-"

"I don't care," he simply cut her off.

Moon just shook her head in disbelief. "How can you not care?"

"Because it's how it is," Newt said firmly. "That's…"

"That's what you deserve, is that it?" Moon supplied dryly.

Newt finally turned his face to her and gave her a quick look. That was all, that was all she got before he started to stare into the wall again. And suddenly, she was _furious_ with him. Why did he have to be like this?

Newt, the martyr. He made one mistake and he was going to keep punishing himself for it for the rest of his life. Well, with this attitude, it wasn't going to be for very long…

"That's just pathetic…" Moon said quietly, clenching her hands into fists.

Newt didn't say anything. His eyes dropped to the floor and he just sat there like a statue. No, this still wasn't over, not yet. But it was time to change tactics. Moon was about to stoop very low, but given the fact that she didn't have many options… _Emotional blackmail it is._

"Fine," she said carelessly. "Whatever. Suit yourself, stay on that self-pity train. But let me tell you that you don't make this decision just for yourself."

Newt looked at her, furrowing his brows.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, there will be a lot of running on our way out, that's pretty clear," Moon started evenly. "You will be on the tail since even Chuck is probably faster than you… And if you are gonna be at the end, do you think Minho would be running in the lead? Alby?… Me?"

Newt frowned deeply, his eyes turned pitch black almost immediately.

"There's no way in hell that I allow you to-"

"Yeah, go ahead, forbid it," Moon chuckled mockingly. "Order me around - that's what always works. It will definitely work for Minho too."

Interestingly, they switched parts pretty quickly - now Newt was the furious one, Moon could almost see the fire burning behind his eyes.

"That's low," he said dryly. "Even for you… that's really low."

Moon was facing his dark rage, but she smiled anyway.

"The thing is - I don't really care, Newt," she told him honestly. "I don't care if you're gonna hate me for this, I don't care if you would never be able to look at me again, I don't care if it means you will agree to do this." _I don't care if it means that you'll survive._ "I would fall on the bottom if I have to, I don't really have a problem to do that."

His glaring was unbearable but Moon held her ground. In the past, she might be not backing down for trivial things, things that didn't really matter… This was different. This was worth fighting for.

"You don't wanna do it for yourself, that's fine," Moon told him smoothly. "I'm not even asking you to do this for us. _You_ are going to do this for us."

xXxXx

"So, Newtie… where exactly is the line?" Minho asked, raising his eyebrows curiously. "Tell me there's something this psycho would ask you to do and your answer would be no, please."

"Shut up, Minho," Newt and Moon said at the same time.

They and Clint were currently in the Med-Jack's hut, getting ready. Because of the vinegar Newt had stuck his almost entire leg in, there was a foul odor in the room, which wasn't exactly helping the situation. Clint took Minho aside, so they could look at the pictures again and that left Moon alone with the victim. A few hours had already passed since their conversation, but the atmosphere was still pretty heavy.

"What?" Newt asked, examining her uneasy face. "Having doubts already?"

No, she wasn't. But proximately two minutes ago, Clint told her that they didn't have enough painkillers to properly knock him out. Sure, they could wait ten days for the Box to bring some more, but then Newt would have a lot shorter time to recover. The horrible image in Moon's head changed into a freaking horror.

"Everything's gonna be fine," she said with a strained voice.

"Look who's utterly optimistic now," Newt blinked in puzzlement.

Eventually, they were going to get through it. They went through worse. At least that was what Moon was telling herself. She sat next to him on the cot and hoped Newt's forgiveness had no limits.

"Well, if I'm saying it, it has to mean something…" she said calmly. "So don't be nervous."

"What? You're about to break my bloody leg, why would I be nervous?" Newt's voice reeked of sarcasm.

"So how much do you hate me right now?" Moon checked, trying to change the subject. "Just the right amount," Newt replied pensively.

"Listen, I know it's hard for you to believe it yet…" Moon said, looking straight into his eyes. "But we are getting out. This is really happening. Thirty-eight days from now… we all have to be Runners."

 _I need you to be fast, Newt. I need you to have a chance._

Newt was looking at her for a while, then his eyes dropped to the floor.

"I was a Runner once… It didn't work out so well."

Moon took a breath to say something, but Clint beat her to it:

"Okay, I think it's been long enough… How do you feel?" "Just peachy," Newt replied dryly.

"I mean… the painkillers. Are they working yet?" Clint asked.

"Um… I don't know," Newt took a while to think about it. "I'm kinda tired."

Out of nowhere, Minho's hand flew through the air as he smacked Newt's bare thigh with all the strength he could muster. All three of them winced with shock.

"Are you shucking kidding me?!" Moon started to yell at him.

"What? I just wanted to be sure the pills are working!" Minho said in his defense.

Moon just stared at him with her eyes wide open. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Why are you keep doing that, are you-"

"They're working," Newt cut in calmly. "By the way - shuck you, Minho."

"You're welcome, buddy," Minho gave him a bright smile. "Let's strap you up, shall we?"

"You're enjoying this far too much…" Newt mumbled and lay down on the cot. They made sure he was tied down firmly. "And Moon? You know, if you get another amazing idea like this… keep it to yourself, okay?"

"I promise," Moon smiled faintly.

Clint and Minho moved to the other side of the cot, taking ahold of his leg and sudden panic flickered through Newt's eyes. Moon leaned closer to him, hesitantly taking his hand. He clutched it with urgency.

"It's all gonna be over soon," she told him, trying to keep her voice as soothing as was possible. "Just think about something else."

"Like what?" Newt scoffed, closing his eyes tightly. "I don't know… um… Remember the day I arrived, the first night?" Moon was just blabbing, everything could count. "You told me that everything's gonna be better tomorrow." "Yeah…?" Newt turned his gloomy eyes to her. "I lied."

"No," Moon shook her head. "You were right."

Without any warning, a loud crack sounded, gruesome and utterly terrifying, but it was nothing compare to the sound that came out of Newt's mouth. He screamed in awful pain, crushing her hand with his fingers and Moon's blood went cold within a second. She wasn't able to do anything else, then keep repeating 'hold on, hold on' over and over, even though he couldn't possibly hear her. As another horrible crack sounded, Newt's screaming suddenly stopped. Moon watched his body relax, his hand loosened its grip and his head fell on a side - he passed out. She would never have thought that she would be grateful for something like this, but God, she was.

"What's up with him?" Minho panicked, the fear quite obvious in his eyes when he looked up at them in alarm.

"He's out…" Moon exhaled heavily. "Thank God…"

"You sure?" Minho pressed.

"No, he's dead," Moon deadpanned. "I just didn't want to make you cry again."

"Shuck you, Moon."

"Shuck you too."

Moon let her hand slip from Newt's weak grip and rushed out of the hut. She thought a fresh air would help, but she was wrong, that horrible feeling was still in her head. The crushing guilt that made her body shake uncontrollably and filled her eyes with hot tears. She could still see it in front of her eyes, Newt's face distorted with agony and she really couldn't figure out what Newt has ever done to deserve her. She leaned against the wall, trying to suppress the tremble and kept rubbing those annoying tears off her face, but others replaced them immediately. After a while the door flung open and Minho stepped into her field of vision.

"Where the hell did you-" he stopped talking immediately after he saw her face. Moon tried to cover it with her hands, but it was too late. "Whoa, whoa!… Okay… Tears…" he started to mumble. "Alright… shuck! What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"How about to shut up?" Moon shot at him, trying to calm her breathing.

To her surprise, Minho didn't leave. He even stepped closer and sort of pat her shoulder. When Moon looked up to him, his face was so priceless, she let out a chuckle.

"Geez… You're freaking horrible at this."

"What the shuck do you want from me, woman?" Minho threw his arms up. "I lived three years with just dudes and you are the first girl popping up her and without a manual!"

"Every normal human being with normal human feelings and basic empathy would know how to act, dumbass!"

"So you're calling me a stone again?" Minho raised his eyebrows. "How mature of you." "I'm still better than you," Moon let out, wiping the last tears off her face. "What did Clint say?"

"Not much…" Minho replied. "It looks good, but we have to wait, I guess…" "Yeah, we'll be doing a lot of that in the future," Moon mumbled, running her hands through her hair.

"You know, you've done a ton of mistakes in the past," Minho said after a while of silence. "This isn't one of them."

Moon was looking at him and let those words slowly sink in. Sometimes, she hated every single little thing about this guy, just everything. And sometimes… he could actually do or say something like this.

"I know…" Moon said, bouncing off the wall. "Anyway… you saw me cry. That means we're closer now," she smirked at him.

"Oh, man…" Minho drawled out with a frown. "Why do you have to be such a girl?… Seriously, I'm out of here."

And he was. The Runner just twisted around and walked out without looking back. So Moon went back to hating his guts. It was much easier that way.

* * *

 **10 DAYS LATER**

* * *

The Gate was about to open any second now.

Moon was right in front of it, practically standing on her toes.

This was it. The day. They will find the way.

"You ready?" Minho finished tying his shoelaces and straightened up.

"I was born ready," Moon smirked, meeting his annoyed look.

"Oh, shut up."

As if on cue, they both started running at the same time.

* * *

 **I am sorry. That's a good start, right? :D**

 **I honestly didn't even realize how long it had been, and I'll spare you some empty excuses, but sometimes life just gets in a way. I'm sure most of you already forgot this little story during this horrendous hiatus, I'm really sorry for keeping you waiting - I know from my own experience how hard it is to orientate in a story when the gaps in-between chapters are far too wide.**

 **Let me just tell you that the inspiration didn't run out - I got ideas for proximately at least another fifteen chapters ready. I also went through the whole story and made some minor edits - especially grammar. Instead of studying for my finals, I was writing this and the next chapter, and I intend to keep going. :)**

 **Anyway, I hoped you like the chapter and I can promise you Thomas's arrival in the next one.**

 **Have a nice day!**

 **(Another) delayed responses to** **amazing** **reviews:**

 **BlueGreen216: Literally a thousand thanks to you. I love reviews - especially the long ones - and yours is just wonderful! :) To be honest, sometimes I feel sorry for Alby - he's really having a hard time since Moon arrived. :D And I'm really glad you sometimes find her annoying and stubborn and childish, I'm really trying to make her as realistic as possible. Although I love books when characters go through hell and come out strong and kind and with new moral values, I just didn't see that for Moon. PTSD hit her hard and after everything that happened to her, she'll always be a little damaged. Anyway I know this slow-burn is really a slow-burn, and it might take some time with Thomas arriving and completely complicating everything, but don't worry - we're getting there. :) Once again thank you so much!**

 **Chlo: Hi, there! As always - your review made my day and I'm really happy that you liked the chapter! I'm also sorry for the delay and will do my best so it never happens again. You're right, of course, Newt truly is awesome and I always thought that as a leader - he would be freaking amazing! :) I'm glad that you enjoy Moon and Minho's love-hate relationship because it's not going anywhere! :)**

 **BookRain: Thank you so and very much. I'm thrilled that you like the story and if Moon's anything like your sister then… Wow! :D That's just amazing! And I really feel like saying 'Good luck!' because from my point of you - Moon really isn't the easiest person to deal with. :D I know it took really** _ **really**_ **long time, but the update is finally here, so I hope you liked it. :)**

 **Lydia: Aww… that's just… Thank you! It's really important for me that Moon isn't unrealistic or perfect, so thank you so much for saying that! I'm so glad that you like the Minho-Moon relationship because it's so dynamic it's really easy to write. Yes, it was really Thomas in her memories and I can assure you he'll be in the next chapter. A lot more is about to happen. :) Thank you for your wonderful review!**

 **Zephyr169: Thank you so much! And again - sorry about the delay… The next chapter would be out as soon as possible. :)**

 **YourOwnBeat1307: Skepticism is good, skepticism is welcomed! :) I'm happy you like the story and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well!**


	19. Everything Is Going To Change

Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **Everything Is Going To Change**

* * *

Her nightmares had suddenly stopped.

Since the day they fixed Newt's leg, Moon was able to get through the night dreamlessly, and she honestly didn't miss them at all. Every single dream she had ever experienced was traumatic, each one more gruesome than the last one, and, since she finally got a hint about the way out, what was their point anyway? Moon didn't need to know every single detail of her simply horrific past; she already knew enough to seek a revenge. The Creators were not going to get away with it.

Ten days passed and Clint was fairly optimistic about Newt's leg. It was needless to say that Alby was furious when he found out, and threw a horrible tantrum. He couldn't stick them all in the Pit though, so he basically just scolded them, blamed Moon for everything bad that had ever happened and left. Newt was getting better every day. His leg was still sore, but Gally and the builders helped to design a special brace for him a few days ago, so he could sort of move around.

Moon hardly slept waiting for this day to finally come. She was actually kind of bummed that Kail and Ben both got sick a few days ago, so they couldn't go with them. The way into Section 8 was long and Minho didn't seem in a particularly good mood today. Eventually, Moon couldn't stand the quietness anymore.

"So, Ben and Kail, huh?" she let out, testing the waters. There was a rumor going around lately and Moon wanted to know if Minho knew about it. Judging by the _are-you-retarded_ look he gave her, most likely not.

"What about them?" he asked in a not particularly cheerful tone of voice. He slowed down a bit, though and Moon was grateful for it. The adrenaline that was rushing her forward in Section 8 couldn't last forever.

"Isn't that kinda… ahem… strange?" she tried it again, suppressing her smile.

"What do you mean?" Minho asked impatiently, having absolutely no idea where she was going with this.

"Well, Ben got the flu."

"Yeah…"

"Ben got the flu… and Kail also got the flu."

"So…?"

"They both got the flu," Moon specified. "At the same time."

"What's your shucking point, Tiny?" The Runner finally snapped.

"They're the only ones who got it, you flash! Ben was around us the whole day, so whatever this 'flu' is, it's most likely not transferrable by air, but you know how else they could get it from one another?"

Moon watched Minho's face full of total confusion.

"What the-… Wait, what?!"

And finally, it all clicked together.

"So, are we there yet?" she was making sure. "Did you finally get where I was heading or should I give you more clues? How about I spell it out, just to be sure?"

Minho was looking at her, shaking his head in total disbelief.

"You're insane… God…"

"Yeah. Right," Moon smirked, looking straight ahead.

"They were not… I mean… Ben's not gay!" Minho said firmly. "That idiot's totally into you!"

"He's not."

"Yes, he is! You'd have to be demented not to see it… So yeah, you probably didn't."

"Maybe it's just a phase," Moon shrugged, ignoring his last comment. "Or maybe he goes both ways-"

"Oh, God! This ends now," Minho cut her off resolutely.

"There's nothing wrong with-"

"I don't care!" he interrupted her again, his voice getting louder. "You're not going to do this with me, ever! I'm not your gossip girl, you stupid little shuck-face!"

Moon was watching his face, really trying not to laugh, her mouth creating a small 'o'.

"Are you blushing?" she asked in disbelief. He wasn't, but that wasn't the point, was it?

Minho gave her one of his famous death glares.

"Shut your shucking mouth, Greenie," he warned her.

"You totally are!" Moon gasped and quickly jumped aside to avoid his hand.

"Fine, you wanna make me uncomfortable?" Minho asked, raising his eyebrows. "I'm gonna turn it right back at ya."

"Oh, yeah?" Moon drawled out challengingly.

"Oh, yeah. Easily."

"Go head, don't be shy."

"Okay, you asked for it. What about Newt?"

Moon made sure that not a single muscle in her face moved.

 _Oh, so that's how you wanna play it?_

"Well… I hate to say it, but he was actually the one who called it like a week ago," the black haired girl said matter-of-factly.

Minho stared at her.

"… Are you _kidding me_?"

"No. He's hella perceptive. And let me tell you - once you see it, you can't un-see it."

"… you get bored a lot lately, huh?"

"You think?" Moon asked, her voice full of sarcasm.

Minho shook his head, putting himself quickly together.

"It's quite a shock, but… It was only a matter of time, I suppose… We all got older… so many boys in one place…"

"That's right," Moon nodded in all seriousness, a sneaky smile crept upon her lips. "So when are you gonna come out?"

"Oh, shut up!" Minho snapped at her.

"What? There's nothing wrong-"

"I know there's nothing wrong with it! And Ben and Kail can do whatever they want, but I'm planning on getting out of here, then I'm gonna find myself a girl and I'm gonna-"

"Traumatize her for the rest of her life?" Moon supplied, snickering.

"Why am I even talking to you?" Minho asked, murdering her with his glare. "How about you shut your mouth, or I'll shut it for you?"

Even though it was kind of self-destructive in this situation, Moon laughed.

"Stop laughing, shuck-face!"

She let out a breath, trying to control herself. Minho was getting angry and she really didn't want him to try to break through the wall with her again.

"I totally won this one," she noted, couldn't resist.

Minho groaned, annoyed to no end.

"How can Newt even put up with you?"

"Well, he can put up with you, so-"

"Okay, that's it! Dead silence from now on - I mean it!"

Moon didn't speak up again. Minho obviously wasn't in the mood for teasing. Moon studied him from the corner of her eye and noticed how _tense_ he was. This was a big day for her, but it was obviously a big day for him as well. She remembered that Minho actually didn't want the other Gladers to know until they actually find the way out, he didn't want to give them false hope. He'd been running in the Maze for three years, he'd been facing his own disappointment and the others', and Moon wouldn't be surprised if he actually didn't have any hope left. Minho suddenly seemed deep in his thoughts and if Moon didn't know him better, she would say he was worried. Her word wasn't enough for him. She wanted to tell him that everything was going to be okay because she was sure, she knew she would find the way, but something like that would never work for Minho. All she could do was to offer some distraction.

"Minho…?"

"… what?" he sighed wearily.

"Well, a new Greenie arrives today," Moon spoke up cautiously.

"Oh, really?" the Runner drawled out.

"Yeah, really…" she replied, ignoring the high level of sarcasm in his voice. "And it could be a girl."

Minho blinked, and it was obvious that that hadn't even occured to him. He gave her a quick look and then remained to stare ahead.

"It could be another lunatic like you, though," he mumbled.

Moon raised her eyebrow at him.

"If I were you, I'd take what I can get."

"God, I hope it's not a girl…" Minho exhaled a prayer, looking to the sky. Then he looked down at her again, meaningfully. "And yeah, you should totally take that personally."

Moon didn't because… she actually hoped as well. But honestly, even the image of a new boy in the group didn't seem twice pleasant. After a month in the Glade, she could understand the Gladers a little better now. The change was hard, especially in their conditions. Whoever was coming up in that Box - there were no refunds. It could be someone like Winston. It could be a girl, that would cry for days, or a badass girl taking shit from no one, or a beautiful girl with an accent… and Moon seriously didn't know which scenario was the worst. However, she had a feeling that whoever was coming up was bad news. She might be paranoid and pessimistic, but it somehow seemed unrealistic for them to be lucky enough that _they_ would send them someone normal, calm or actually helpful. Someone like Newt…

"You actually did take it personally?" Minho spoke up again after a while, probably amazed by the sudden quietness.

"Yeah, you wish…" Moon just rolled her eyes. "That wasn't even in the top fifty of the nastiest things you've ever said to me."

"You're not going to cry again, are you?"

"Shuck you, Minho."

"Shuck you too. Now speed up - we ain't got all day."

xXxXx

"I'm still waiting," Minho said for the third time.

A few hours passed since they arrived in Section 8. The walls there were taller than usual and almost every one of them was covered in thick ivy. It took them a while before they went through it completely. And after nothing happened, they did it again. And again. And then it was just Moon walking around in utter confusion, trying to figure out why _absolutely nothing_ was happening.

Minho leaned against the wall in the place where the section opened into a large square, and was watching her - arms folded, eyes narrowed. Moon didn't really care. She didn't need him for this; she was going to find the way out on her own anyway, but after a while… it became quite annoying.

She gave him the most murderous glare she could muster.

"You're not helping," she growled at him angrily.

Minho just shrugged.

"I went through this section dozens of times. Today, I already went through it twice. You really think I'm gonna notice something I haven't noticed before?"

"Of course, not. How could you?" Moon asked, her voice filled with sarcasm. "You just stay here and perfect the art of doing nothing."

Minho tilted his head to a side.

"Where is that sixth sense of yours, Tiny?" he asked. "Where are those miraculous memories?"

Moon turned her back to him, squeezing her hand into fists.

 _Don't get angry, he's not worth it, concentrate…_

"Maybe it needs to be triggered," the Runner spoke up again. "How about a punch in the face?"

"How about you shut your hole for a minute and let me focus?!"

Minho didn't reply to that, but Moon doubted it would last a much longer. She moved away from him, turning into another corridor, trying to comprehend every single inch of that damned section.

 _There must be a hint somewhere… There has to be, right?_

But the truth was, it didn't have to be there at all. She had to admit herself that if there was something like a clue, the Runners would have found that already. They had three years to look for a clue. If there was a way out, it wasn't fair. It wasn't obvious, it wasn't easy to find, it was nothing but a cruel joke. They put them in an enormous labyrinth… and the way out could have been literally anything.

Moon suddenly heard a muffled noise behind her, but before she could turn around, a hand grabbed her and shoved her straight into a mass of ivy. Even in the sudden dimness, she could tell it was Minho. His hand pressed her tightly against the wet wall and before Moon could take a breath, she heard something else. A mechanical twirling. Her whole body stiffened when she realized how close the Griever actually was.

"Do. Not. Move," Minho whispered almost inaudibly in her ear.

He didn't have to say it twice - Moon was barely even breathing. The ivy was so thick they couldn't see through, but she could still hear the monster coming. It was slowly crawling around them and the moans it was making were painful to listen. Moon stayed pressed against the wall with her hands on it and unwillingly, her right hand slid a little bit lower over the wet surface. The black haired girl wouldn't even notice if her fingers didn't press against the wall in order to stop in one place and the stone _didn't move_ under her touch.

Moon gasped in shock and Minho's hand appeared out of nowhere, he quickly smacked it on her mouth. Her eyes were wide-open the whole time they waited until the Griever would leave. She kept her hand at the exact same place, her fingers made sure a thousand times… it was real. That piece of wall _definitely_ moved.

"You'll be the death of me, I swear," he hissed under his breath irritably when the creature finally went away, moaning in the distance, but Moon was so out of her mind in the moment, she couldn't even hear it.

Minho withdrew the hand from her mouth, but Moon's other hand caught it before he could jump out of the ivy.

"What?" he asked, his voice still pretty annoyed.

Moon was staring at her fingers in amazement - she had her hand on a part of the wall that looked like a square and it was pushed a little bit in.

"The wall…" was all she could get out in that moment.

Minho was obviously intrigued by the tone of her voice because he stayed and didn't say another word. Moon held him tight while she pressed on the wall, pushing the square further and further into the wall. Until it stopped.

She could feel vibrations beneath her fingers as a part of the wall on their left slid down, creating a door. Moon moved towards them, pulling Minho with her, only to see nothing but dense darkness inside. It felt exciting and utterly terrifying at the same time. The only positive thing was that the door wasn't big enough for a Griever to fit in there.

"After you…" Moon whispered, finally speaking up after what seemed like an eternity.

Minho gave her unreadable look and she let go of his hand. He carefully moved forward, stepping inside. As soon as his foot touched the floor, the lights went on, lighting up a long hallway that was seemingly leading towards some stairs. Minho walked in and Moon pulled her hand away from the wall and followed him. They barely made a few steps when the door behind them slid shut.

"Oh my God…" Moon let out, feeling her excitement quickly fading out and sudden coldness running down her back. They were trapped.

"That's just great," Minho said, walking back. "I'm gonna take a look if we can…" he stopped mid-sentence, narrowing his eyes at her. Moon didn't even realize that she already started to breathe very irregularly. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," she said firmly, leaning against the wall and starting to rub her palms uncomfortably. They were trapped inside of a wall. No one was ever going to find them. It was all just a joke, it was all just a trick…

"Well," Minho spoke up again and Moon suddenly found his voice more irritable than ever. "Obviously something-"

"I'm claustrophobic, shuck-face!" she cried out impatiently. "Happy?!"

Minho took a step back, surprised by her sudden ferocity.

"You're… what?!"

"Open that bloody door!"

Minho rushed back to the door and it took him only a few seconds before he found another square he pushed in. After he did, the door opened again and he looked back at her. "See? We can get out of here."

Moon let out a sigh of relief, covering her face with her hands for a moment. After she put them down, she saw Minho still staring at her.

"You okay, drama queen?" he asked.

"Peachy," she replied sarcastically; her previous energy was coming back quickly. "So? What are we waiting for?"

Moon moved forward and Minho quickly followed her. In an absolute silence, they went down the metal stairs and there it was. A door with a screen on it. In the middle of it, a big red button was pulsing.

Moon turned to Minho, expecting to see an excitement on his face, but instead of that, he was all tense and staring at the door blankly. "What is it?"

"Nothing, just… It's been here the whole time…"

Moon rolled her eyes - this wasn't exactly a perfect time for Minho discovering his long suppressed-emotions. "Seriously? You're gonna blame yourself because you didn't touch every single wall in this freaking enormous Maze?"

Minho gave her a short look and forced a smirk on his face.

"I should probably tell you… that I didn't quite believe you could do it," he said, sort of hesitantly.

"I know," she nodded.

"Like, I didn't believe in you at all," he added, far more confidently.

Moon frowned.

"Kinda hurts, but okay."

"Seriously, I thought you are stoned half of a time-"

"Oh my God, does this even have a point?!"

"Well… you actually did it," Minho said in a tone that made it clear that he still didn't completely believe it.

"Thank you." The corner of Moon's lips lifted. "I know this was hard for you."

Minho looked down at her in his typical aloof way.

"Don't let it get into your head. You're still a shuck-face."

"Hate you so much…" Moon stepped closer, pressing the button on the screen. The whole thing went black for a second and then, big bold numbers showed up all over the screen.

Moon stared at it for a second, curling her hands into tight fists. "Are you shucking kidding me…"

"A code," Minho muttered, his eyes flickering over the screen. "We need a code."

There were blank spaces that needed to be filled in, in order to open the door.

Moon was really glad that there was nothing else in the hallway because she had a serious urge to throw something at the screen.

Alby was right. Oh, God, it hurt so much to admit it, but he was. It would have been horrible if they got the whole Glade here and then couldn't open this shucking door.

"So, 29 days to figure out the combination starting right now," Moon let out wearily, her mood dropping to the rock bottom. It could have been literally anything and she didn't have even the slightest clue. Suddenly, she hoped her nightmares would come back, she really did…

Staring at the screen was only making her angrier, so she turned around to leave. They couldn't have done anything anyway… After a few steps, she realized the Keeper of the Runners stayed put, unmoving.

"Minho?"

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, still staring at the door.

"We should… try something."

Moon furrowed her brows.

"Like what?"

" _Anything,_ " was the answer.

Moon blinked, noticing that his hands were clenched into firm fists. His muscles were practically pulsing on his beefy arms.

"Minho…"

"What if we come back next time and it won't be here," he said, still facing the screen.

"What?"

"What if they just close the door? What if this is just a one-time opportunity?"

Moon didn't answer him because she had no idea how. She didn't even think about how hard had to this be for Minho. Three years in the cage and now he was looking at the way out. When he didn't get any reply, he turned to her, his black eyes hard.

"Look how good they hid this…" he said bitterly. "We could've found it only with a pure luck. Only by a coincidence. They obviously don't want us to get out, why would they want it?"

Moon was looking at him, trying to not let his words sink inside of her head. "Why would they bother to put a door in here if it wasn't real?"

Minho clenched his fists even more, turning around and Moon could clearly see the struggle he had with himself. She could understand it… It might completely freak her out, but she did.

"We can't leave without the others," she told him calmly, but firmly. "You know that."

"We can…" he said after what seemed like an eternity. "But we won't."

Moon couldn't help but feel relieved when he finally turned away from the door and started walking back.

"… Are you okay?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh, yeah," Minho exhaled with an easier tone, pressing the square into the wall. "I just realized that leaving with you would actually mean leaving with _you_."

Moon immediately wanted to throw some insult his way, but then she actually imagined it. Only her and Minho, on their own, for days… Oh my God, they wouldn't have lasted a week!

"What a scary image," she said, being completely honest.

"I know, right?"

xXxXx

The way back to the Glade was relatively calm. Moon was fully sunk into her own thoughts, trying to figure out what possible combination could unlock that shucking door. She had no doubts that Minho was doing exactly the same. When they got closer to the Gate, Moon could hear something odd.

"What is it?" she asked and felt goosebumps rise all over her arms. She knew that sound from somewhere… and it didn't mean anything good.

"It's the Box," Minho replied, narrowing his eyes.

"But… the Greenie should have arrived at midday, right?" Moon was confused.

"Yeah…" Minho seemed to be lost in his thoughts while they turned into the last hallway leading up to the Glade.

Moon was watching his face, but he gave nothing away.

"Minho?"

"You had arrived around this hour too," he told her. "I wonder if that means he's the same bad news," he added.

Moon frowned, stopping in one place.

"What makes you think that it's a he?"

Minho pointed a finger. The black haired girl turned away from him and saw a boy frantically running in their direction. He was followed by a couple of Gladers, but it seemed that he had quite a head start and he was aiming for the Gate. This image caught Moon off guard and she turned to Minho, completely shocked. The Runner just stood there, an unimpressed expression on his face.

"Aren't you gonna do anything?" she exhaled in disbelief.

"Why me?" Minho asked, raising his eyebrow. "Why should I care - Greenies are not my concern."

Moon literally couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Were you always such a shuck-face?"

She didn't wait for his answer. Instead, she took off, running towards the boy in order to stop him. The other Gladers were quickly catching up and he kept looking back, obviously utterly terrified. Moon got before him, but before she could say anything, the boy slammed right into her, literally running her over. They both landed on the ground pretty hard and she felt like an elephant was just dancing on her chest.

 _That was the last time I tried to help,_ she promised herself while trying to breathe out the pain. _THE LAST SHUCKING TIME!_

"You…" the deep voice came from her right side.

She rolled over only to see the newbie staring at her. Her heart literally stopped when she saw his face. That boy… was the boy from her dreams and there was absolutely _nothing_ even slightly romantic about it. Moon felt her blood go cold and she lifted on her elbows to pull away from him.

"Are you in one piece, Sunny?" Zart asked cheerfully when he managed to catch up, followed by several other Gladers.

"Yeah," Moon replied with a strained voice, those dark eyes were still staring at her and she didn't seem to be able to look away. This couldn't be him, this had to be another nightmare… It had to be.

"You're back!" Chuck exclaimed cheerfully. "What about the-"

He was cut off mid-sentence by Terry slapping him over the head. "Not in front of the new slinthead, you idiot!"

"This really wouldn't do, Greenie," Gally frowned at their new arrival, not exactly gently pulling the scared boy up only for him to weakly point a finger in her direction.

"I know you…" he said and Moon recognized that voice.

" _ **This wasn't a smart move, Moon…"**_

Someone in the crowd gasped and the Gladers started to whisper between each other. Moon was blinking, trying to ignore the bottomless pit in her stomach and honestly - trying not to faint.

"Make some room, ya shuck-faces!" sounded the only voice that could possibly make this situation better.

Newt finally caught up to them, pushing his way through the crowd and immediately moving forward to help her up.

"You alright, M?" he asked, his eyes carefully studying her face. "What the bloody hell did this shank just say?" he added, after she gave him a nod.

"He said he knows her," another deep voice sounded, firm and adamant as always.

The black haired girl looked up only to meet Alby's death glare.

 _Well… shuck me._

xXxXx

Moon didn't mind being pulled away from the new Greenie _at all_. But getting another lecture from Alby… yeah, she would gladly miss that out.

The older boy folded his arms firmly across his chest as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Care to explain?"

 _No. No way. Not to you, anyway._

Moon just gave a casual shrug.

"I'm just as confused as you are, boss."

"Quit bullshitting me, will you?" Alby frowned at her deeply. "You really want me to believe that this all is just one big coincidence? You both arrived late! First they sent up a girl, who slowly getting her memories back and then a fella, who recognizes someone? Of all people - you?!"

"What do you what me to say? I have no idea who he is." That was the truth. Moon had no idea, who this boy was…

"I find that hard to believe."

"Come on, don't give me that look! I was in the line lately, you know that. No trouble, no rebellion, following your rules and stuff… There's simply no pleasing you, is there?"

Alby gave her a hard look, not amused one bit. "If I'll find out that you knew something and didn't tell the rest of us…" he started threateningly.

 _What?_ Moon waited for him to finish, not scared at all. _What are you gonna do?_

The leader just shook his head.

"You've been nothing but trouble," he said, turned around and left.

Normally, those words would totally work on her, but not today. Moon didn't give a damn about Alby at this point. They found the way out and boom - a few hours later the Creators sent up this guy. She could keep pinching herself, but no, this wasn't a dream… This was a shucking nightmare named reality.

Looking back, she noticed that the boy was on the ground again, surrounded by Keepers and Chuck. The rest of the Gladers were obviously sent away and Alby was heading right towards them.

She didn't want to be anywhere near _him_ , that was literally the last thing she wanted to do. But Newt was there as well, and she had a strong feeling that if she wasn't going to talk to him about this soon, she would literally go insane. She could just go near, give him a signal, make him somehow leave with her… She didn't have to participate at all.

"I don't even remember how I look," the boy sitting on the ground exhaled, staring at his shivering hands when Moon moved closer.

"Brunette, brown eyes, tanned skin," Chuck offered kindly.

"And ugly as klunk," Winston added with a sly smile.

"Look who's talking," slipped through Moon's lips before she could stop it. Well, it was just too good to let it pass.

 _There goes my plan…_

"Alby released you already?" Clint asked, genuinely surprised.

"What was that about?" Zart wanted to know.

"Same story as always," Moon replied casually, ignoring the stare of those brown eyes. "I'm a big pain in his ass and he has no clue what he did to deserve me."

Some of the boys chuckled, Winston and Terry seemed to be on Alby's side completely, and Frypan was just shaking his head.

"He can't really think you got also something to do with this, can he?" he asked in disbelief. "I mean, that shank should give you a break!"

"Thank you! My words exactly!" Moon exhaled, turning to the cook gratefully. "You are the only one on my side, Fry."

Newt cleared his throat, _very loudly_.

"Well, excu-"

"Hey!" Minho exclaimed, interrupting him carelessly. "What about me?"

"What, Minho-boy?" Moon raised an eyebrow at him. "No one paid attention to you for like ten seconds? Poor little thing…"

"Ha," Minho uttered sarcastically, taking a step closer. "Stop playing all mighty and tough in front of the new Greenie! Everybody knows the truth anyway - you are and always will be the shuckiest tiniest bitchiest shanky girl ever."

"Thanks, man," Moon said dryly. "Really appreciate that."

"You're welcome, honey," was Minho's sweet reply.

"Okay," Newt put an end to it. "And when that's clear - what about get back to the subject?" He rolled his eyes and pointed a finger at the new Greenie. "He kinda recognized you."

"So…?" Moon was literally trying to send Newt a telepathic message.

 _Shuck all this and come with me. Newt. Come. With. Me._

"So…" Newt repeated, her intense look only managed to confuse him. "What about you?"

Moon folded her arms and took a great care to not look at the new boy.

"Yeah, he actually looks pretty familiar."

"For real?" Newt's eyes widened.

"He looks like that shank who ran me over like twenty minutes ago."

"Yeah," _he_ said uncertainty and only his voice was enough to startle her. "Sorry for-"

"Can't you take it seriously, just for once?!" Gally growled at her angrily.

"Alright, captain Gally, calm down! I've never seen his face before," Moon lied without hesitation. "Happy?"

She tried to lock eyes with Newt, but his all attention was on their new arrival. Moon was suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling that she couldn't take this any longer, turned around and walked away. She looked back while she heard quick steps following her, hoping that Newt actually got her message, but no. It was Minho.

"Why do I have a feeling that you're lying?" he asked her slyly. She felt miserable and completely down - that logically meant that he was in a great mood. The balance was real.

"Because you're a shuck?" Moon retorted back blankly.

Before she managed to walk away, Minho caught her elbow and kept her in place.

"Nice try," he told her sarcastically, locking eyes with her. "You really-"

He suddenly stopped, his eyes widening. Moon has never seen this expression on his face before and for a moment, it really freaked her out. "What?" she asked. "What is it?"

"The code…" Minho let out, his eyes staring right through her. "There was a place for eight numbers."

"So…? What does it-" Moon stopped mid-sentence, the truth hit her in the face like a rock. "Oh my God…"

"Eight outer sections of the Maze."

"Eight outer sections of the Maze."

"The code is the sequence in which they open."

"The code is the sequence."

Minho looked down at her, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"… You know you're just repeating everything I say, right? What is this, a mini-stroke?"

Moon couldn't find it inside to answer him. She just stared into nothing, shaking her head in disbelief…

"I can't believe how stupid I was…"

 _It wasn't that hard… It really wasn't that hard!_

"Well, yeah. I didn't get it at first either."

"Yeah, but you're you. I'm me."

Minho let out a chuckle.

"Oh, I see… you're the smart one, right? I could totally tell from your last sentence - so much intelligence in it, it almost made me fall over."

Moon glared at him. She really wasn't in the mood for his sarcasm, right now.

"Screw you…" she said, walking away.

"Hey," Minho stopped her again. "It doesn't matter. We got it now, right? I mean… we're right, right?"

"I think so…" Moon ran it again through her head. "I mean, it feels right…"

Minho nodded.

"That's good enough for me."

"Yeah, but what about Alby?"

Moon looked back to Homestead and their leader was there, talking to the rest of the Gladers. The combination was right, she felt it. It all made sense in her head, there was the way out and the Gate was still open. And after all that happened today, she couldn't stay in the Glade for another second…

Moon looked up at Minho.

"Could we get everyone in Section 8 before it closes up?" she asked in all seriousness.

"You mean like in two hours?" the Runner blinked in confusion as if he wasn't even sure she was serious.

"We got there in an hour and a half," Moon pointed out, quickly turning around and walking towards Alby. "We can make it."

Minho caught her wrist and didn't let go even though she fought his grip.

"Tiny, calm down," he said firmly.

"We can!" Moon insisted, trying to break her way out of his grasps. He had no idea what was going on… He didn't understand anything! "We could if we just go right now!"

"Only your conversation with Alby would take two hours!"

"Shuck him then," she retorted carelessly, finally managing to get her hand free. "I'm gonna get Newt and Clint and Chuck and Ben and Zart and you guys can catch up with us later," she said dismissively, walking away from him. "See you in a month or so…"

"You know Newt can barely walk, right?" Minho called after her in a casual tone.

Moon immediately stopped in the place. Oh my God, he was right… Even with the brace, Newt was now slower than ever. They could never make it there in time…

"Otherwise a great plan," Minho told her sarcastically, patting her shoulder. "Maybe your best one yet."

Moon looked at him, then at Newt and then at the newbie… She wasn't staying, no… She couldn't.

 _There must be a way… Something…_

"I feel like I could carry him, though…"

"Do you want me to slap you in the face, or can you hold it together?" Minho clutched her shoulders and turned her to face him. "We're not leaving today, get it in your head!"

Frustration mixed with anxiety was never a good combination. Moon shoved Minho away and she had to catch him off guard because he actually stumbled backward, an expression of pure disbelief in his face.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Tiny?!"

"I can't…" she exhaled, running her hand through her hair, looking around. "I can't take another month in here!"

"Hey, hey, we've been through this…" Minho stepped closer, suspiciously calm, his hands in the air. "You're gonna make it. It's gonna be alright…"

"No, it's not…" Moon shook her head, trying to put herself together. "Not with him."

"What are you talking about?" Minho narrowed his eyes and when he didn't get an answer, he came closer. "Hey… Who is he?"

Moon looked up at him, her eyes flickering across his face. Newt was supposed to be here… why wasn't he here?

"I don't know…"

"He's just another Greenie," Minho told her. "No big deal."

He didn't understand, any of it. He couldn't. And he wasn't Newt, but Moon felt like her head was about to explode.

"I saw him in my dream," she exhaled, getting it out of her system.

Minho was quite obviously taken aback by her revelation because he didn't say anything. He just stared at her, thinking it over, waiting.

"I saw him… it was him," the black haired girl said with certainty. "He was younger, but it was him…"

"Tiny…"

"He was there," Moon kept going. "He caught me and… and…"

"He hurt you?" Minho asked, his eyes seeming even darker than usual.

Moon hesitated, going through her painful memories.

"I can't remember…" she said eventually. "But he's dangerous."

Minho sighed and turned around to look at him.

"He's just a kid," he said, looking back at her. "Did you see how scared he was?"

It could have been fake. Moon remembered his face when he saw her for the first time. The fear didn't have to be real… no matter how real it looked. Or…

"… He doesn't remember," she let out.

Minho nodded, clenching his harness with his hands.

"None of us do… None of us, but you."

None of this made any sense. Not a lot of things did in this place, but this was… twisted. This seemed like a trap. The Creators had to know she remembered him - she told Newt about him. Why would they send him here? They were so close to the end… was he here to destroy it all?

"Are you sure it was him?" Minho asked, obviously having a lot of questions himself. "Why would they send him here if he was one of them? Without his memories?"

"I… I don't know… How the hell should I know?"

"Maybe he messed up… Maybe he was just a pawn and they got rid of him."

"Maybe it's a plan," Moon offered bitterly. Yeah, that seemed more like it.

Minho's eyes narrowed at her.

"You sound like Winston."

Moon cringed her nose, she hardly could stand hearing his name, and be compared to that idiot? She gave her Keeper a condescending look.

"Be serious, Minho…"

"I am," the Runner replied firmly. "You're not thinking straight. You're frustrated right now, you're paranoid and quite frankly - you're scared."

"I'm not," Moon mumbled, folding her arms across her chest.

"Yes, you are," Minho insisted. "You have that same look on your face you had in the Maze when you thought I was that Janson guy. You need to calm down. There's almost forty of us and only one of him. So let me tell you what we're gonna do… we're gonna give him the benefit of the doubt."

Moon was staring at him in disbelief. She must have misheard him, he couldn't have said that. Not Minho, not ever.

"You can't be serious…"

"I am. I gave it to you, remember?" he raised his eyebrows at her. "Now I'm gonna gave it to him and you're gonna too. We're gonna keep an eye on him and if he's faking it - we're gonna find out. But from now on - he's just another Greenie who came up in the Box, do you understand?"

Moon was glaring at him in very defiant manner. Perhaps she shouldn't have even said it to him, it didn't make her any good anyway. And no, she didn't want to pretend like nothing happened. She didn't want to pretend that she didn't know who he was. He was one of them and everybody had the right to know.

"Unless you wanna tell everyone what you just told me?" Minho asked, raising his eyebrows challengingly. "Unless you want chaos and panic, and mass hysteria which would most likely lead to burning this kid alive?"

Moon's imagination was vivid. She blinked, trying to get rid of the picture.

"That wouldn't happen," she said, frowning.

"You sure about that?" Minho questioned and a dark shadow fell on his face. "You weren't here during the Dark days, but I was. One guy says something, the other one agrees with him and then it's like a chain reaction. Once they had started chanting, the few of us left weren't able to stop it. When people get scared they always follow the loudest one."

Moon was staring back at him, wondering if she was the loudest one in his scenario. Did he really expect her to start cheering for his immediate execution…? And would she be able to do something like that? She looked behind Minho's back and saw Newt patiently talking to the boy sitting on the ground. He had his head in his hands and looked… lost.

"I don't want to burn him alive," she said firmly.

"You don't?" Minho pressed. "The were experimenting on you for years… They tortured you, wiped your memory and sent you up here to see if you can find a way out… you're telling me you don't wanna revenge?"

"Of course, I wanna revenge!" Moon snapped at him angrily.

"So what's the deal?" the Runner asked, stepping aside so she could have a clear look at the new Greenie. "He's right there… You're sure he's one of them, right?"

Moon was looking at him. Yes, he was right there… But Newt was also right there. The sun was shining through his hair, he had a big smile on his face and overall - he didn't look in the mood to murder anyone.

"No, you're not sure," Minho spoke up again.

"No," Moon exhaled. "I'm not."

"You saw him in a dream. It doesn't have to mean anything."

"It doesn't have to mean anything," she repeated after him as it was her new mantra.

"You're doing it again," Minho noted.

Moon took a deep breath. He was right, it didn't have to mean anything… or it could mean a thousand different things. Just for once, she could keep her head cool and think about it, before doing something rushed, irresponsible or _bloody stupid_.

"Are you alright?" Minho asked her, his eyes carefully studying her.

"Yeah, better…" Moon nodded, lifting her eyes to him. It was sort of surreal that she really had this conversation with him. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"For being so… Newt."

"Whatever…" Minho snorted, shaking his head. "Just don't expect me to hug you and cry with you till you fall asleep."

Moon frowned at him.

"What the hell do you think we do in our room anyway?"

"Don't know, don't care," the Runner sang-song, turning around. "Now, come on. Let's take a closer look."

Moon took another deep breath, trying to get ahold of herself. As soon as she placed her eyes on him, the boy turned his head and looked at her. The image of him standing in the white hallway ran through her head. Maybe he didn't remember anything… but that didn't change a thing in her eyes.

He was one of them.

And he was going down, no matter what.


	20. Celebration Time

Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **Celebration Time**

* * *

Moon would like to believe that after everything that happened, she was ready for anything. Anything at all. That nothing could take her aback anymore, and whatever was coming her way, she could handle. Well… she was wrong.

She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't ready for her nightmares coming to life. She wasn't ready for being this terrified; for all the chaos that broke out in her head - and she wasn't ready to pretend like nothing was happening while walking beside Minho towards the person, she wanted to be running away from. He lifted his head and his hazel eyes landed precisely on her, yet Moon held herself violently calm, even though chills were running down her spine. "Who is she?" she heard him ask in a hushed voice from his place in the grass when he was sitting, while they were approaching them.

Newt flashed her a look, his dark eyes bright and obvious to all of it.

"Hard to tell," he chuckled cheerfully, giving her a cheeky smile. "But her name's Moon."

The new Greenie put his eyes on her once more, either looking utterly confused and scared, or displaying an amazing acting performance. One or the other.

"That's…" he let out, his eyes dropping to the ground in puzzlement. "quite a weird name."

"Well, at least I have one."

Moon didn't even realize those sharp words came out of her mouth until she met Newt's quizzical look. The blond boy took a breath to say something, but Minho quickly stepped in, drawing all the attention to himself.

"Doesn't matter, really, 'cause no one's call her that," he interjected grandly. "They call her Sunny, girl, or troublemaker. I call her Tiny - short for Tiny Brain." He showed the new guy a little gap between his fingers.

"And I call him Huge," Moon returned quickly, paradoxically being grateful that the Runner took her mind off everything for a second with his insult. "Short for Huge Ego."

"Ouch," Minho said sarcastically.

"Hey, Sunny!" came Zart's voice in a very convenient moment, before anyone could say anything else. He was calling from across the Glade, waving his hands to get her attention.

"See? Told you," Minho smirked and Moon gave him a deadpan look.

"Frypan's doing his special! Are you coming?"

The food was literally the last thing Moon thought about right now.

"Be right there," she called back and twisted around to find Newt talking to the new boy in his comforting voice.

"… normal. It was the same for all of us, trust me. You just need to take a deep breath, it's going to take a while before you-"

"I don't get it," Greenie cut him off impatiently. "Why don't you just tell me…" He shook his head, eyes turning towards the Gate. "Why can't I just take a look?"

"Dear God, there's two of them," Minho let out a groan, immediately earning Newt's glare.

"It's not safe, alright? Look, I'm gonna tell you everything I know," he promised him. "But we don't want to overwhelm you all at once, that's not how this works."

"But-"

"Like I said - you're not ready," Newt was adamant. "No need to rush things anyway…"

Moon watched them, remembering her first day here when she was the one Newt was trying to reason with. Seeing it from the other side was kind of surreal since even Moon had to admit that saying everything about the Maze to a shank who went nuts and started running the second they pulled him out of the Box wasn't the greatest idea ever.

"Fine," the brunette muttered bitterly, his hands began ripping out the grass. "What are you gonna tell me now?"

Newt straightened up and put his hands on the hips. "I know this sucks… from experience. But it's gonna get better. You just have to keep your klunks together and hold on a bit… Your name will come back to you eventually, that's-"

"My name is Thomas."

As if on cue, all the tree Gladers stiffened. It was most likely shock for Newt and Minho, but Moon was waiting for something like this to happen since the minute she saw his face. No one remembered his name so quickly - only her, but she was like an exception to every single rule. She also got some of her memories back, so if… Thomas really didn't remember anything, this could mean he was also going to recall some things. Soon.

Minho was the first one to shake it off, letting out a rueful chuckle.

"Alright, that's it," he announced, brushing his hands. "I don't wanna have anything to do with this slinthead. No, thank you." Twisting around, he left without sparing her a look.

 _So much for the plan._

Moon really didn't have time to be angry with him right now, she turned to Newt, but he only gave her a quick look before he looked down at the newbie.

"What?" Thomas's narrowed eyes flickered between the two of them.

Moon ignored him, moving closer to the blond boy, desperate to get his attention.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Later, okay?" Newt didn't take his eyes off the new boy, so he didn't see the uneasy expression on her face when he bended over to pull Thomas on his feet. "Up you go, Greenie, you and I, we're gonna have a little chat."

There was something horrible about watching Newt slowly walking away with him. She kept her eyes fixed on them, trying to figure out what the hell was happening and never felt so alone since the day she woke up in the Box.

xXxXx

"Wanna hear something?" Chuck asked as soon as she sat down on the bench next to him. With Newt out of the picture, he was probably the next best person she could be around right now. His positive energy was beaming, plus he had something sticky and red smeared over his mouth.

"Always," Moon gave a weak smile, trying to reason with herself in her head in the meantime.

 _He doesn't remember anything. He isn't going to do anything - we outnumber him, he wouldn't stand a chance._

This all could just be a coincidence… or maybe the Creators were just trying to mess with my head.

"We had a bet going on if the new Greenie is gonna be a girl or a guy," Chuck told her excitedly in his bright voice.

Moon narrowed her eyes at him slightly.

"What could you be possibly betting?"

"Everybody put in their share of strawberries. The winning side could then split it. Guess what I was betting on?" he happily smiled.

Moon leaned closer to him, putting her hand over his and immediately regretting it since his hands were sticky too.

"Chuck, honey, half of your face is literally red," she informed him smoothly.

"Oh." The young boy tried to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand, obviously not being bothered with it one bit. "Want some?" He reached next to him and pulled out a small box half full with strawberries.

Moon instantly took one of the big ones. "This is exactly why I keep you around," she remarked, putting the fruit in her mouth.

"I'm pretty sure _I_ keep _you_ around."

"Cheeky…" Moon shook her head, taking three strawberries at once. "So… were the opinions tied?"

"Not really. Most of the guys thought it would be a girl. Suckers."

"Watch your mouth, Chuckie," Zart playfully warned him, sitting down next to her, with a bowl of his favorite tomato soup.

"Let me guess," Moon let out a chuckle. "Winston and Gally had been sighing in relief."

"Obviously," Zart nodded and then grinned. "Guess who else was really relieved?" He pointed his finger at the redhead coming to their table.

"Is that so?" Moon drawled out slowly, raising her eyebrows.

The Med-Jack inconspicuously cleared his throat and sat down across from her.

"So," he started casually. "It looks like you're going be the only girl in the Glade after all."

"It does," Zart looked at her, smirking teasingly. "So… we should probably talk about-"

"Why do I have a feeling the following will be profoundly disgusting?" Moon cut him off before he could finish the sentence.

"Nothing disgusting! I just thought… considering our situation and the need for the recreation of the-"

"Are you kidding me?! Oh my God!" Moon got out of her chair so fast it was hardly humanly possible.

"We have to think about the future, Moon!" Zart called after her, laughing.

"Never in a million years," the black haired girl shot back, walking away. "Do not talk to me for a week."

She was about to storm out somewhere far away from the little creepy Track-Hoe, but then she noticed a boy sitting on the other side of the eatery. He was sick lately and Moon found herself missing him through the days, so she went over and sat down next to him, not even bother to mind his personal space.

"Hello, sick boy."

Ben lifted his head in surprise, his lips stretching into a smile. "Hi there, Sunshine!"

"Feeling better?" she asked and without waiting for an answer, she grabbed his glass and took a sip of water.

"Peachy…" the blond Runner replied, his eyes remaining firmly on her. "So…? Are we done with the small talk?"

Moon furrowed her brows in confusion.

"What?"

"What do you mean what?! Did you find anything?!" Ben exclaimed rather loudly, shaking his head. "Gosh, you and Minho are real talkers today!"

Moon blinked in surprise. With the new boy coming and all that stuff going on around it, she nearly forgot about the Maze and what happened in there. She was really surprised that the other Gladers weren't all over them, but the Greenie probably distracted them a lot. Now when Ben mentioned it, she wasn't able to miss several eyes turning her way, waiting for her answer.

"Yeah, we found something…" she said with an even voice, trying to keep it casual.

"… What was it?" Ben pressed, impatient.

"The way out," Moon told him, a smile creeping on her face.

At least a half of the boys around them rushed towards their table immediately and the others quickly followed, stuffing themselves closer to be able to hear better.

"Where? Where?!"

"Seriously?!"

"We're getting out? When?!"

Everyone was talking over everyone and the noise was just drawing more and more Gladers, causing bigger and bigger chaos. Moon lifted her hands up in, trying to keep at least some personal space.

"Alright, alright, calm down-" she tried to contain it, at least a little.

"Where is it?!" Terry cut her off urgently.

"What the hell are we waiting for?" asked Finn while throwing his hands in the air and hitting several boys in the face.

"It's in the outer section," Moon explained loudly to get everyone's attention. "It opens only once in a month."

That gave her one solid second of peaceful silence. The problem with seconds? They are short.

"Couldn't we… just climb over?" Zart questioned, his voice full of hope. It seemed that despite his cheerful portrait, the gardener didn't want to stay here one minute longer than he needed to.

"We could…" she started slowly.

"No, we couldn't!" a strong voice fumed and the other Gladers instinctively moved out of the way to make a path for their leader. Alby was approaching their table and he was - shockingly - furious.

"Probably not all of us," Moon admitted, unfazed by Alby's sudden appearance. "The walls there are really high…"

"Higher than those?" Chuck asked curiously, his eyes wide open.

"Oh, yeah."

"You realize that those things are classified, Greenie, right?" Alby spoke up again, basing his arms firmly across his broad chest. "Why the hell else do you think we would have a Map Room in the middle of the woods where only Runners are allowed?!"

It was curious how the atmosphere around could change so quickly. None of the boys dared to speak a word, they eyes silently flickering from one to other. Moon, on the other hand, couldn't be bothered. She had about eighty-four problems right now and the Admiral wasn't one of them.

"Alright," she let out evenly, pressing her hands on the table and standing up to face him. "So first of all - I'm not a Greenie anymore." _And I never thought I would miss the good old days…_ "And second - you wanna throw me in the Pit? Go ahead. But I just found you a way out of this hell you call home, so basically any sign of gratitude would be nice."

Moon really didn't know how she was doing it, but she somehow always managed to make Alby angrier than he was the last time. His jaw was clenched and the veins on his arms were about to pop. Surprising every one of them, he took a step back. "This isn't over," he informed her coldly and marched away.

Moon was watching him, wordlessly speculating in her head if this ever would be over. And yeah, she was pretty sure that even if they were getting out - she wouldn't be getting any Christmas cards from Alby in the future.

"So, that was tense," Jeff let out cautiously, being the first one to break the silence.

"Do you ever feel like it's dangerous even to watch them fight?" Zart asked, looking around for support.

"You still don't know why I'm glad we don't have another girl here?" Clint raised his eyebrows at her meaningfully, leaving the table.

Moon turned away from them, suddenly not in the mood to be around anyone. Walking away, she heard Terry's loud remark perfectly.

"If she were anyone else, she would no longer have a head."

 _Yeah,_ Moon thought sarcastically. _I'm pretty overwhelmed with all that special treatment I'm getting._

As she got further from the eatery, she couldn't help but notice two figures standing on the edge of the forest - undoubtedly Newt and the new Greenie. The cold hole inside of her stomach was getting bigger every passing second. This wasn't right, this was very wrong… she had to do something. The problem was she had absolutely no idea what.

"Thank you," came a soft voice next to her and she flinched, turning her head to see Chuck standing there with a warm smile on his face. "For finding the way out."

If there was any bright side to it all… Chuck was still Chuck.

"I might only take you with me, you know?" she said, ruffling his curly hair.

"Me and Newt, right?" the younger boy smirked at her cheekily.

Moon already knew from experience that this kid was way smarter than he actually looked. Turning her head back to the forest, she noticed that the two were gone.

"Yeah," she let out quietly. "You and Newt."

She caught a glimpse of movement in the corner of her left eye and when she spun her head to take a look, she saw several boys building some sort of wooden statue.

"What are they doing?" Moon narrowed her eyes at them.

"Getting the celebration ready," Chuck replied, signs of excitement clear in his voice.

"What?"

"It's always quite a party when a new Greenie arrives…" the boy explained and only then noticed her frown. "… What?"

"I didn't have any party," Moon clarified with a big fake smile.

"Oh…" Chuck realized, thinking for a few seconds and then outreaching his hand to her. "But you can have the last strawberry!"

xXxXx

As if it wasn't bad enough that the Gladers were preparing a party they didn't even bother to do for her - she spent the rest of the afternoon in the Map Room with Minho, going over every other possible combination for the door if their original theory should prove to be false. During all that time, the Runner was pretty casual whenever Moon brought up the situation with Thomas and after she finally got him out of her hair, she couldn't find Newt anywhere. Going through literally every inch of the Glade, she ended up at 'the party', watching the other boys laughing and dancing for a while. She bitterly hoped they were celebrating _her_ finding the way out and not shucking Thomas coming out of the Box.

"Here," a voice sounded behind her back and when Moon turned around, she saw one of the Builders - Matt - handing her a jar with limpid liquid.

Moon was looking at him and the drink moderately suspiciously. "… What is it?"

"It's poison," the boy deadpanned and after she gave him an unimpressed look, he went on. "Relax… It's booze. Celebration time!"

"The Creators are sending you alcohol?" the black haired girl raised her eyebrows.

"I wish," Matt scoffed. "This is Gally's recipe."

"Oh," Moon smiled, ruefully. "So it is poison, after all…"

The Builder rolled his eyes and kept his hand up until she took the jar from him. Moon took a sip, finding that the liquor was super-gross and it burned her throat like hell, but she would rather die than let any of that on.

"Creamy," she quipped, taking another sip, but Matt didn't smile.

He just stood there, his eyes locked upon her.

"I know what you're doing, you know…"

Moon blinked, partly sure she didn't hear that right.

"… What?"

"I know what you are doing," he repeated confidently.

 _Well, that makes one of us, I guess…_

Moon just kept staring at him, not really sure how to respond, before the boy finally cracked, chuckling and shaking his head.

"Oh, man…" he let out loosely. "I definitely thought this would work."

Moon furrowed her brows, waiting for an explanation that was most likely never coming.

"Still not catching on, shank…"

"I thought you might accidentally spill something, thinking that I already know…" he gave a casual shrug, taking a sip from his own jar.

"Spill what?" Moon frowned and shook her head. "I know _nothing_. Maybe I look like I know everything, but I'm just as clueless as you are!"

Matt scoffed in incredulity.

"Yeah, right…"

"Whatever," Moon rolled her eyes, looking around. "You know where Newt is?"

"Where do you think?" Matt chuckled as if it was absolutely clear, pointing a finger behind her back.

Moon already half knew what she was about to see, but it still hurt nonetheless. Because Newt was with him - again and still - smiling like everything in the world was okay.

"That's kinda his thing - being all over them in their first weeks," the Builder added.

Moon couldn't find it in herself to look away from them. Because they were sitting on a log next to each other and they seemed so… close. They only met a few hours ago and just… what the hell?

" _Aww_ ," Matt drawled out mockingly, gaining her attention. "Did I just break your heart? Did you think that you were his only Greenie? That you were _special_ to him? That's so cute…"

"Shut up, Matt," she warned him, ignoring that the hole in her stomach was getting wider with his every word.

"Come on, don't be like that," he nudged her with his elbow playfully, obviously enjoying himself way too much. "I'm sure Newt will always have a place for you in his heart. But on the other hand… I don't know. He tends to _lose interest_ pretty quickly…"

Moon wasn't dense, she knew very well the Builder was just provoking her, but his words were rubbing in nonetheless. Newt was Newt, so of course he was the one taking care of the newbies, providing them support and holding them up… But ever since Thomas came up from the Box, Newt hasn't left his side and… he knew she wanted to talk to him - why the hell didn't he just leave him for a few minutes and go find her?

"Oh my God, you're jealous," Matt gasped, covering his mouth with his hand. "You. Actually. Are!"

"I said shut up!" Moon shot back, seeing how the Builder burst out laughing, his eyes full of tears and something _snapped_ within her.

All that fear, all the insecurity, the anxiety, the horrible pressure just piling up through this horrible day just turned into hot rage and all she saw was red. Moon launched forward and was immediately pulled back by a foreign hand before she could touch the laughing boy.

"Take a hike, Matt," Alby ordered, and the younger boy turned around and walked away like a soldier. Moon tried to shake his hand off and he unexpectedly let her.

"I need to talk to you."

"Lucky me," escaped her lips before she could stop herself. Alby's glare hit her hard and she couldn't remember the last time he was looking at her any different.

"I mean… Sure, what can I help you with?"

Alby apparently didn't care for sarcasm either, since his glare only intensified. Seeing that, Moon went ahead and finished the jar, and one second later, she started coughing, literally burning alive from the inside.

"How about you do the talking?" she managed to get out hoarsely, cursing herself for ever being born so stupid.

"That would be probably for the best," the Admiral said, having absolutely no sympathy for her current situation. If anything, it seemed to lift his mood a little. "Something shifty is going on and I don't like it. I don't really know what part you play in it-"

"None," Moon interjected quickly.

"It doesn't matter," Alby dismissed it solemnly. "The new kid isn't like the others and you're gonna stay away from him." The black haired girl blinked, frowning. "How is me standing away from him going to help anything?"

"It definitely won't hurt," he insisted firmly. "You won't talk to him, or put any crazy ideas in his head-"

"Oh, so this is what's all this is about-"

" _Don't_ talk to him," Alby emphasized. "Did I make myself clear?"

"Crystal clear, just like the dome above us," Moon remarked, tilting her head to a side. "You don't really know how to say thank you, do you?"

Alby gave her one more glare before he left her, and was immediately replaced by Ben, who just stood himself next to her and watched his leader leave while handing her another jar of Gally's booze.

"How in love do you think Alby is with me?" Moon inquired, sipping the blazing inferno in her glass.

Ben turned to her with his eyebrows raised.

"Like on the scale from one to ten? Minus eighteen."

Moon nodded, keeping her face completely serious.

"Awesome."

xXxXx

Ben was making sure that she always had a glass in her hand. It was as if he knew she really needed to get wasted and let go of everything for a while - and it was working. Those few hours when she didn't think about anything blurred into dancing, laughing and drinking, but eventually, her eyes found him in the crowd. He just stood there, talking to no one in particular and it seemed like he was just listening on other Gladers' conversations, carefully observing everything. This wasn't just in her head, this was really happening and if she won't do something about it-

Her trail of thoughts was broken by someone significantly clearing his throat behind her back. Moon turned around and saw Newt standing there. Newt. It took him a while, but he was there now, so what was the point of being upset? Unexplainably, Moon felt a heavy weight being lifted off her chest.

The tousled boy narrowed his eyes down at her.

"You seem kinda obsessed with the new guy…" he noted.

Moon went over his words, frowning slightly.

 _Yeah, you're one to talk, Mama Newt._

"Here, take this," he shoved a mug filled with water in her hand.

Moon brought it halfway to her mouth, stopping in mid-movement. She just couldn't help herself. Her eyes were fixed on him and she felt like she would never take them off again. Taking in every inch of his face, she could hardly breathe. How could she never notice how beautiful Newt actually was? Seriously, it shouldn't be allowed for a human being to be this attractive…

"M? Are we doing alright?" Newt chuckled, his dark eyes sparkly with amusement and he took her hand, helping her to get the mug to her lips.

Moon drank it all and as soon as he took the cup away from her, she moved closer and leaned on him. Pressing herself against him she could feel the warmth of his body and his scent was filling her head fast, way more toxic than the alcohol. She wrapped one of her hands around his waist while she burrowed her face in his shoulder, her nose brushing against the soft skin on his neck.

"Wait," came out of his lips haltingly and suddenly there was a hand on her wrist, stopping her fingers from moving. "No…"

Hearing that word, she could feel her blood freezing in her veins. All that intoxicating warmth was gone and she felt shivers running down her back as she pulled away, lifting her eyes up to his. Newt studied her face with caution, not letting go of her wrist and it finally crossed Moon's mind, that maybe she was wrong all this time. Maybe they were just friends and nothing more.

"You're hammered…" he whispered softly. "You're barely standing on your feet…"

Maybe it was all just her and Newt was only… kind. His rejection was like a knife in her heart, making her sober up really quick. She dropped her eyes to the ground, couldn't stand to look at him anymore. He said no, he actually said no… and she felt like an idiot she was. Her eyes started burning and she quickly broke out of his grip.

"I'm sorry," Moon mumbled before she turned around and started running.

"No, wait… Moon. Moon!" he was calling after her but she didn't look back.

Moon had to slow down after a while since her head started to spin and the whole Glade with it. The anxiety was back now, twirling inside of her stomach, making her sick and dizzy.

"Moon!"

Newt was following her in the dark Glade, but she was in no condition to turn around and face him right now. Or ever. Wiping tears from her eyes, she started walking again, not really sure where since there was no place where she could possibly hide from him.

"Don't do this, M…" Newt called, his voice light. "Don't run away from a cripple."

That made her turn. She was all worked up and ready to shoot back at him that he was no cripple, but in the same time, Newt stumped and almost fell down on his face. Moon suppressed her nausea and ran to him as fast as she could, but he was already balanced when she there, one of his hand up in the air.

"It's fine…" he said firmly, his eyes lowered down. "I'm fine."

Moon's eyes were studying his face with great caution, looking for even the slightest signs of pain. When she found none, her gaze involuntarily dropped down to his leg. The brace on it looked scary and every single look at it made her feel uncomfortable… and guilty. She kept telling herself that Newt was going to be okay, that he was going to heal and run again, but that image seemed so unrealistic in her head that it made her anxious.

"Hey…" Newt spoke up softly, lifting her chin up with his fingers. "My eyes are up here."

Suddenly, all her worries were gone, but the tension in her body even leveled up. Moon would swear to God that every single time she looked at him, Newt's eyes were just getting more darker and brighter at the same time. It felt like staring right into the fire, she could tangibly _feel_ the warmth coming out of him and suddenly, she felt very lightheaded. Losing her balance out of nowhere, she tilted to a side and Newt immediately reached up to steady her.

"Bloody hell… look at yourself," he said smoothly, a smile dancing on his lips. "I let you out of my sight for one shucking time and you get klunk-face drunk."

"Well," Moon breathed out heavily, trying to get ahold of herself. "Let that be a lesson to you."

Newt chuckled in amusement and his eyes drifted towards the sky. An emotion ran across his face, something Moon hadn't been quite able to identify.

"What?"

"Nothing, just… I spent a lot of time in this exact spot in the early days," he noted, giving her a quick uncertain look. "If you are in the middle of the Glade… and looking up. You can't see the walls anymore. It's like they don't even exist. Like you're not trapped."

Moon gave it a shot, but it didn't work for her at all. She might not see the walls, but she knew they were out there… trapping her inside.

"That's… literally the biggest crap you've ever said. And you once told me that I'm gonna accept everything till the end of the first week."

"Yeah…" he chuckled loosely. "God was I wrong."

He kept looking up and his face sort of fell. Moon saw it, written in his eyes. All those years he had spent here, all the pain he had gone through and how much he feared he would never get out of this place… Moon felt as if she needed to say something, anything that would make him feel better.

"It's gonna be okay," she promised him, no matter that she couldn't possibly ensure it. Newt placed his eyes at her wordlessly and Moon was looking back at him with firmness only a large amount of desperate hope could give her. _We're gonna get out of here,_ she was promising him with her gaze. _I'm gonna get you out of here._

Newt let out a soft chuckle.

"Who would have thought you would turn out to be such an optimist…"

"A realist, at the most," Moon corrected him with a half smile. "Anyway, it's done. You talked with Alby, right? We found the way out."

Newt slightly narrowed his eyes at her.

"… 'we'?" he repeated her words in confusion.

Moon blinked. She didn't even realize she said 'we'. She meant her and Minho, but in the end it was her - she found the way out… In her head, they've done it together, and that was definitely a new thing for her. She looked up to Newt again, but he didn't look particularly enthusiastic about her not being so egocentric anymore. She would have asked him about it, but in the same second, the whole Glade spun again and she started to blink furiously to overcome the sudden dizziness in her head.

"Whoa, you should sit down, drunky," Newt said, his hand already pushing her down on the ground.

"Oh my God… I was poisoned," Moon moaned, lying in the grass, putting her face in her hands. "Matt tried to kill me… or was it Gally…? Avenge my death, Newt, promise me!"

"Okay, sure," the blond boy chuckled, lying down on the ground right next to her. "Deep breaths and look just into one spot, alright?"

Moon had to close her eyes for a while, it was the only thing that seemed to be helping. They lay in silence for some time, she fighting for her life and he just keeping her company.

"I'm sorry…" Newt whispered close to her ear smoothly, but Moon kept her eyes shut tightly. Nauseous and anxious, she fell asleep.

xXxXx

When Moon opened her eyes, there was still night. The sky looked dark but had no stars in it and the air felt really cold… Before she even managed to turn her head to check, if Newt was still there, there, a hand appeared out of nowhere, pressing tightly against her mouth. It muffled her startled scream perfectly and before she knew it, a body was on top of her, pushing her down. Moon's eyes widened with pure horror while she faced the dark blue insanity staring right back at her. Strands of dirty, tangled black hair fell in her face as Luna leaned closer to her, being just a mere inch from her face.

"Does it feel comfy? Sleeping just a few steps away from your enemy?" she asked quietly, her voice dark and bitter.

Moon was literally out of breath, not understanding anything. There was a part of her mind, that was screaming that this wasn't real, it couldn't be, but the hand on her face was colder than death and she felt it, she did.

"What are you waiting for? You know what you gotta do…"

Luna's face screamed madness more than ever before, she looked furious and completely out of her mind. Her hand suddenly moved away from her mouth and she violently grabbed her head with both of her hands, her fingers digging right into her skin.

"Open your eyes, Moon," she hissed right in her face, her breath hot and wet against her skin. "Open. Your. Eyes!"

Moon opened her eyes and sat up, her heart pounding painfully in her chest. She was so confused waking up in the middle of the Glade; it took her a few seconds before she remembered the previous night. When she dropped her eyes to her side, she found Newt there, still sleeping, his hands folded beneath his head. The dawn was slowly breaking, probably just a few more seconds before the Maze would open and wake the Gladers up. Moon turned her head in that direction, immediately noticing a figure in the distance, walking towards the Gate.

It was Thomas.

* * *

 **I'm sorry for the extremely long waiting, I know it's getting old, but sometimes life just gets in the way.**

 **Your reviews are giving me life, guys, seriously - I love them so much! Thank you and I'm sorry!**

 **Anyway, I will try to update more regularly, so let me know if anyone still reads this story. :)**

 **Hopefully, see you soon~**

* * *

 **24.2.2018**

 **I'm sorry for the wait, guys, I really am.**

 **I've got another chapter ready for you for quite a while, but my Beta got really busy lately, so I'm currently looking for another one. Since English isn't my first language, I really need to to get the chapter checked** **first** **, before publishing it.**

 **Thank** **yo** **u** **sooo** **mu** **ch for your comments, I love it and greatly appreciate it!**

 **Hopefully, it won't take long.**


	21. About Personal Things

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner series.**

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **About Personal Things**

* * *

Moon's body moved faster than her thoughts. To be perfectly honest, she didn't want to be anywhere near that guy, but the Creators must have sent him there for a reason and she sure as hell couldn't just stand aside and let it happen, whatever it was. Thomas was standing in front of the closed Gate, and it only took her only a minute to get herself behind him. The question was… what exactly was she going to do now?

"How about you take a step back?" she spoke up coldly and watched him flinch in alarm and turn around immediately.

His dark eyes widened in surprise when he saw her.

"I wasn't about to-"

"Of course you weren't," Moon cut him off simply, slowly striding around him to place herself between him and the Gate. "You woke up early to watch the sunrise, right? It's to _die for_."

Thomas didn't say a word. He just stared at her, his eyes examining every inch of her face, desperately looking for something and failing to do so. Moon knew that feeling all too well, but that didn't make her feel sorry for him one bit. That all could be nothing but an act.

It probably was an act.

"Walk away," she told him firmly, hoping for a quick end to all this.

He blinked, his eyes quickly flickering to the Gate and then his whole stance hardened with determination. "No."

Moon's hands curled up into fists and she had to suppress a large amount of insecurity because Thomas just stood there, being all tall… and dangerous. The image of him standing in that hallway was clearer than the sky above her head and it was making her uneasy. The leftover alcohol in her system wasn't helping, making her dizzy and her mind fuzzy, but still… somehow this whole situation felt familiar.

"You're an idiot if you think you can make it in the Maze on your own," Moon scoffed in very condescending manner.

Thomas wasn't fazed by that.

"Then come with me."

… _What?!_

"Whoa, easy there…" Moon instantly took a step back. "I'm not going anywhere and neither are you."

"Why not?" he wanted to know, taking a step forward. "Why are you even staying here?"

"You think we're happy to be here?" Moon frowned in disbelief. "That this is just a vacation for us? Do you think we made out the rules just out of boredom? That we don't understand, and you're _special_?"

She could almost see Newt in her mind, tilting his head and giving her that look of his.

 _You, Moon, are a bloody hypocrite._

Moon didn't have the time to self-analyze at the moment and it didn't matter how much her words hit the spot with Thomas because the Gate behind her back started opening. The Greenie watched it in awe that also seemed pretty damn familiar and Moon could see he made his decision before he even opened his mouth.

"I'm not staying here," he stated firmly.

Thomas was obviously hardcore stubborn… but so was she.

 _If I'm trapped here, so are you._

"Have they told you about the Pit?" Moon asked lightly, her brows lifting in question. "Nasty place really… I heard they once left a guy in there for two whole weeks. He just couldn't hold it together…"

"I hold it together just fine," Thomas snapped back.

"Yeah, I can see that…" she drawled sarcastically, her eyes catching a glimpse of movement behind his back. "Well, do what you want. But just so you know, you have audience…"

Moon pointed with her chin, making him turn around and see that the Glade already came alive as it did every time the Gate has opened. There were many people in the background already preparing for the next day, but the most important one was Minho who was clearly walking in their direction.

Moon could see frustration cross Thomas' features and she smirked.

"Yeah, you're never gonna make it. As much as it pains me to say it - Minho is the fastest shank in the Glade. You wouldn't be able to get to the first turn, and, just so you know, he's gonna drag you back through the dirt like a dog. So have fun."

With those words, she turned around and walked away. Her work there was done. Minho was already pretty close and if Newt wanted to have another talk with the new Greenie, he could be her guest. Moon just wanted to get the hell away from Thomas.

"Wait!"

Moon could hear his voice behind her and his steps, so she sped up.

 _Please, just leave me alone… Don't you know how much it took just to go there and stop you?!_

"Hey!" Thomas exclaimed again and with a few quick steps, he got himself in front of her. "Why won't anybody tell me what's so dangerous about the labyrinth?!"

Moon walked around him, not sparing him a glance.

"Maybe because you've been freaking out since the second you got here?"

He trailed after her, not giving up.

"Nobody's giving me any answers - could you blame me?"

 _Yes. I mean… no. I mean_ _yes_ _._

"You can't just-"

"I just remembered we're not allowed to talk. Sorry, Greenie," Moon interrupted him flatly, not feeling sorry at all. This was probably the only good thing that Alby has ever done for her. He gave her an excuse to avoid this guy, and she was going to take it gladly.

In the corner of her eye, she could see Thomas frown, his brown eyes watching her skeptically.

"Why?"

Moon sighed in annoyance.

"Let's just say that I'm not really good at playing mind games? I would've probably told you everything you want to know and… well, we can't have that, can we?" _Yeah, just stew on it. I had to go through it, so why should you have it easy?_ "See you not later."

Thomas finally took a hint and right after she stopped talking, he turned away from her with an irritated sigh. Moon watched him walk away and there wasn't a pinch of satisfaction in her system. Uneasiness and fear were happily mixing in her stomach and she had no idea what to do to stop it.

"So…" a soft voice stretched out lazily. "That was mean."

Moon unwillingly flinched when she heard that - she hadn't realized that she reached the original place where she and Newt slept last night and in the tall grass; the blond was almost invisible.

"Hey, don't look at me," Moon put her hands up, averting her eyes.

"Alby's orders."

"Right," Newt scoffed sarcastically, slowly pulling himself back to his feet. "We all know that Alby's word is the word of God to you."

Moon met his amber gaze, unwilling to give anything away.

After what happened last night, after that absolute and utter fiasco of her drunkenly coming onto Newt about which they were _never_ going to talk about - she wasn't quite ready for another life-changing situation.

 _Hell no, we are not doing this right now…_

"Is there something you'd like to say, Newt?" she asked evenly, both of her brows lifting.

"Nothing," the boy chuckled easily. "I just don't bloody understand why you're giving Tommy such a hard-"

"Oh, he is Tommy now, isn't he? Interesting."

 _He even has a nickname for him already…_

"… What?"

"Nothing."

Newt frowned, his brows furrowing.

"What are we talking about? Are you still drunk? Or are you wearing your crazy pants today?"

"I have no idea what that even means," Moon informed him calmly, turning around on her heal, ready to walk away.

Newt instantly moved forward to catch her wrist and turn her back.

"Care to tell me what's going on?" he asked, his voice dead serious.

One look into those piercing dark eyes and Moon knew they _were_ actually doing it now. She wasn't about to feed him some pathetic lie and given the fact that he was already creating a bond with him… Moon wouldn't be able to stand it any longer anyway.

"I saw him in one of my dreams," she blurted it out as if she was ripping off a band-aid.

Newt just stood there for a moment, completely stunned.

"You saw… Thomas in your dream?"

Moon gave him a nod. "He was one of them, he had to be. I would've started screaming it out loud too, but Minho told me not to cause any panic until we are absolutely sure-"

"Wait…" Newt interrupted her by raising his hand. "You told Minho and not me?"

Moon closed her mouth, pressing her lips tightly together.

 _Oops._

The blond boy just shook his head, scoffing.

"Typical…" he noted bitterly.

Moon frowned, going on offense almost immediately.

"I was trying to tell you, but you were too busy with your new friend," she remarked pointedly.

Newt looked down at her, his eyes narrowing.

"You've gotta be kidding me with this…"

 _Okay, maybe this went a little too far…_

"Look," Moon spoke up again in a softer tone. "I was just-"

"You really think you have a right to be jealous, huh?" Newt interrupted her swiftly, his eyes dark and burning. "To feel betrayed? _You_?"

The conversation had gotten off track, and while Moon was aware of it, there was absolutely nothing she could do to steer it back the right way - not when Newt had _that look_ on his face. She bit the inside of her cheek to stay quiet; since every single time she tried to fight with Newt when he had that look, things just got much worse.

"You're running in the Maze - the one I never wanted you to go into, by the way - every shucking day with Minho, spending hours and hours with him alone, and now you're telling him things you keep from me. But _you_ are the one who should be jealous?! You?! Of course, you. It's probably because I'm the only boy in a group full of bloody girls, right? Oh, _wait!_ "

Moon watched him rant with her eyes wide open. It wasn't like Newt to lose his cool like that. He obviously was on edge about that for quite some time but still… Moon was honestly shocked.

"What's that have to do-?" she tried calmly but was cut off immediately.

"No!" Newt snapped sharply. "I'm talking and you are listening!" Running a hand through his messy hair, he shook his head again. "I just can't bloody believe you! That's nothing new, but still… Do you remember the day you punched Winston?"

 _You mean… the best day of my life?_

"I walked up on Ben and Zart standing up for you and I… I mean, I was glad they did, but still…" Newt sighed. "I feel like something's changed and I seem to be late all the time… But Minho is there, he's always-"

"I hate Minho!" Moon exclaimed before she could get cut off again. She couldn't believe they were even having this conversation. How could he put himself on the scale with Minho? Newt was… _Newt_.

"No, you don't," Newt declined evenly. "And he doesn't hate you either…"

Moon took a breath to deny it all, but he moved forward, putting a hand over her mouth.

"I'm still talking!" Newt insisted, his dark eyes piercing through hers for quite a moment. Then he dropped them to the ground. "Wow… Look at me - I'm making a bloody scene… Anyway, my point is… you don't get to be jealous. Alright? Just no."

Moon waited patiently until he pulled his hand away and stepped back.

"Sorry, you can talk now. You don't have to, though. I'm not gonna lie, sometimes it's better when you don't…"

It seemed that he was expecting some kind of sarcastic remark or a silly joke, but Moon wasn't in the mood for either. This whole thing just threw her off so completely that, for a second, she forgot all the chaos that was happening both around her and inside of her.

"You being jealous is so bizarre to me it had literally never crossed my mind," Moon admitted evenly, watching the boy before her cautiously.

 _You really don't know how much you mean to me, do you?_

Newt took a breath, but then screaming sounded not far away from them, and his head instinctively snapped towards the noise. Moon turned around only to see Gally and Minho struggling to keep Thomas in place, only a few steps away from the open Gate. Other Gladers - including Newt, of course - instantly rushed there to help.

" _Get off me_! GET OFF!" Thomas kept on yelling when it became clear to him that he was no match for the two older boys.

"Calm down, Greenie, calm down," Gally kept on repeating, his voice surprisingly calm and it had no impact whatsoever. Probably because while he was doing so, one of his arms was securing Thomas in a headlock.

"You can't _keep me here_!"

"Hey, hey, it's okay, no one's gonna hurt ya… Just relax." "LET ME GO!"

Thomas was inconsolably hysterical and clearly on the verge of a panic attack, or so he would have them all believe. Moon was watching the display from a distance, her heart pounding heavily in her chest while she tried to distinguish the truth. To be perfectly honest, she wished that it was real. If it was, it would change a very little for her - Thomas having no memories of being one of _them_ wouldn't pardon him in the slightest, but it would certainly make him less of a threat. However, if this all was actually an act, it was flawless. If he just played them, he was good, very _good_ and Moon already knew the Creators; the people who put them there, wiped their memories clean and played their little games with them, were perfect in what they were doing - she was the only exception to that rule.

If he was playing - they were all doomed.

Sooner or later, he would convince all of them, one after another, they would all believe. Watching Newt jump around him, trying to get him to calm down, Moon knew Thomas had already got him, and her heart was _breaking_. She couldn't count on Newt, not this time, not when it came to this. Unless he would be given some solid proof, Newt would have never condemn Thomas or anyone else in general. He was just _good_ like that, and at that moment, Moon truly hated it. She really needed him to just believe her intuition on this one and follow her blindly which really wasn't his style or anyone's in the Glade for that matter, except maybe Chuck's.

However, there was a list of people she could try to sway on her side, or at the very least make them unsure of the new arrival and therefore wary of anything suspicious. It wasn't a very long list, so it didn't take her long to pick one name. Turning around, she headed straight for the Med-Jack's hut.

xXxXx

Opening the doors, Moon already knew that Clint wasn't alone. She could hear him talking to someone from the outside and she only prayed it wasn't one of her 'haters'. However - as was established so many times before - the world simply hated her and sitting on the table before her was Terry, the Keeper of the Baggers.

Clint instantly turned around to face her, his light eyes quickly checking her.

"Do you need help?" he asked when he couldn't find any obvious injuries.

"Yeah…" Moon stretched out, ignoring the other boy completely. "My wrist kinda hurts…" "What happened?"

"I fell on it." "What a shocker," Terry snorted condescendingly. "From what I've heard you do more falling than running…"

"Hilarious," Moon deadpanned. "Would you get out of here now that your booboo's been taken care of?"

The Bagger raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm in no rush, Greenie," he smirked. "I'm not a Greenie anymore," Moon informed him flatly. "He, however, tried to flee this place a few moments ago, so I _sincerely_ hope you weren't the one on the Gate duty…"

Terry jumped down from the table, heading for the door instantly and on his way out, Moon attempted to trip the bastard. When she turned back around, Clint was giving her a deadpan look.

"As always, you are a delight, Moon," he remarked sarcastically, motioning her to come closer. "Sit down."

Moon did as he said while thinking over her decision to include Clint in this mess. It wasn't the best start for this kind of conversation, but then again, it didn't really matter. The Med-Jack took her hand and was moving it around a little while she made up her mind.

"Does this hurt?" he asked, giving it another spin. "No."

Clint lifted his eyes, studying her expression more closely.

"There's nothing wrong with your wrist, is there?"

"No," Moon confessed. "I just wanted to talk to you."

Clint immediately let go of her hand, pushing himself away.

"Don't pull me into your bullshit, Moon."

Despite his harsh words, Moon smiled. "Did you just cuss? _Geez_ …" "I mean it," Clint carried on calmly. "I don't want to be-"

"This is important, Clint," Moon cut him off easily. "Don't you want to know what's going on?"

The redhead's brows furrowed a little.

"Why are you telling me? You never told me you are actually remembering things or any other stuff that was going on with you…"

" _Seriously_?" Moon let out in utter disbelief, blinking. "You've said like five words to me since we've met, and one of them was your name! I'm sorry if I didn't feel like opening up to you about personal things, Clint!"

"Yet now you do," Clint noted, _annoyingly_ stoic. "Could it be that Newt isn't available for this particular subject? Or have you already talked to him and didn't quite get what you wanted?"

Moon narrowed her eyes, pressing her lips tightly together so she wouldn't impulsively snap something back. God, she hated how smart he actually was. Any other day, she would just get up and leave, moving on to the next person, but this wasn't about her recruiting an army against Thomas. Although that would have been quite nice…

 _I'm doing this for your own safety, for God's sake!_

"This has nothing to do with Newt," she told him evenly. "It's about Thomas." Curiosity flashed through Clint's eyes and in that moment, Moon knew she got him.

"So," Moon tilted her head to a side, giving him a tight smile. "Do you want to hear it, or not?"

xXxXx

Clint wasn't a big talker - he wasn't one to share his thoughts, and he wouldn't just willingly chitchat with you, that just wasn't him. So Moon shouldn't have been so surprised when she got almost nothing out of him, after she told him about her dream/memory where Thomas played the main part.

 _ **"I don't want you to go around causing panic, Moon,"**_ was basically all he told her. He probably needed some time to think about it, but even if he didn't actually get back to her with his own input, Moon accomplished her goal - he was warned.

Moon wasn't causing any panic. For obvious reasons, Gladers were terrified of the history repeating itself, so they kept most of the important things quiet and secret, putting up walls between each other, and Moon wasn't about to join them. Spreading important information wasn't causing panic, Moon _wasn't_ causing panic. She was minding her own business, being a responsible Glader, eating Frypan's delicious pasta, and trying to figure out the best possible way how to tell Ben about all of this.

The best solution was probably to talk to him in his room, so she headed for the Homestead, only to run into Newt by the threshold.

"M." He blinked in surprise, but stayed standing in her way. "We should talk…"

Those simple three words got Moon's body temperature to rise quickly. What did he want to talk about? Last night? This morning? Both? Moon had no idea how this conversation was going to go and even though she was terrified of it, it was about time.

Moon took a breath to say something, but then she noticed movement behind Newt's back and realized someone was standing right behind him. Newt moved aside to let Clint out of the Homestead and whatever feeling was stirring in Moon just a few seconds ago, she wasn't feeling it anymore.

"I'm such an idiot," she chuckled, shaking her head at her own stupidity.

 _Of course, he went to tell him. After all, he's given me up before._

"It's nothing personal," Clint started calmly. "I wanted-" "That's twice now, Clint," Moon interrupted him, her voice just as calm as his. "It feels kinda personal."

The redhead put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a lollipop. Warily, he presented it to her like a peace offering or a bribe or just a little band-aid on the tear that his betrayal ripped open.

Moon scoffed.

"Just get out of here."

Clint lifted his eyes to Newt who gave him a nod and walked away from them.

Newt wordlessly took her shoulder, moving her away from the Homestead, out of any potential eavesdropper.

"I just wanted to warn him, that's all," Moon stated simply, trying to avoid a lecture.

Newt was looking down at her, his eyes unreadable.

"Who else did you tell?"

"No one." "Who else were you planning to tell?"

"Ben. Zart. Frypan…" Newt gave a deep sigh, closing his eyes for a second.

"Please, don't. You can't go around spreading information when we actually don't know what it means."

Moon frowned. "But I know what it means."

Newt watched her for a moment before he spoke up again.

"I thought about it and… There's no bloody way he could be a spy for the Creators."

 _Of course, you don't see it. You trust everyone._

This time, it was Moon's turn to sigh.

"Newt-"

"I know a real fear when I see it, Moon," Newt interrupted her, his voice adamant. "This kid is _scared_ out of his mind. Alby put him in the Pit, and he was crying there since…"

There was no place in Newt's mind that would even consider that Thomas could be pretending all of that, and Moon knew. However, even if it wasn't an act, it didn't change a thing for her. Memory or no memory - he still was one of them.

"I knew what I saw," she told him firmly.

"What you saw could have various different explanations… It could mean a lot of things and… What exactly do you want me to do?" Newt threw his hands in the air in frustration. "This shank doesn't remember a thing. You want me to put him on trial? Banish him?"

Moon didn't want any of those things, not yet. She didn't have any proof, her memory was hazy, she didn't want to cause panic and made unfixable mistakes… A lot of things she hadn't figured out yet. However, what she wanted from Newt, was pretty straightforward.

"I want you to stay away from him."

 _He's dangerous… I just know._

"I can't do that," Newt refused calmly.

That brought a frown on her face. She was excepting this answer, but still… Why did everything had to be so shucking difficult with him?!

"Why the hell not?"

"Because now everybody wants to stay away from him and don't take this the wrong way, but it's your bloody fault."

Moon blinked.

"My fault?"

The blond boy sighed.

"You took it the wrong way…"

"How exactly is this my fault?" Moon wanted to know. _Why is everything always my fault?!_

"After everything that happened with you, the others just don't know what to expect anymore," Newt started explaining cautiously. "They let their guard down when Thomas turned out to be a boy, but then he tried to run in the Maze on his first shucking day. That kinda rings a bell, don't ya think?"

"So basically, there's another troublemaker on board," Moon summarized.

"Basically, yeah," Newt gave a nod. "The others aren't exactly thrilled, Alby's so done, and I can't just leave that bloody kid alone just because everyone around is shucking tense and paranoid!"

Moon felt tight knots tying up in her stomach because there was no way in hell she could get Newt on her side now. Thomas already had him, he was wrapped around his finger. It was so simple. A scared little kid, panicking and crying in the Pit…

"You're going to visit him, aren't you?" Moon realized halfway through her thought. Of course, he was. He was Newt.

The blond boy looked at her, tired.

"M…"

Moon mirthlessly smiled at him.

"I guess you really do those things for everyone."

Ignoring his calls, she turned around and walked away from him. If Newt was out, he was out. Moon would never pretend like she changed her mind or nothing happened - she wasn't about to lie to his face again. This time… she had to manage without him.

"Hey! What's going on?" Minho caught up with her, pointing back to the Homestead where most likely Newt was still standing. "Are you and dad fighting?"

"Shut up," Moon mumbled, trying to shake him off.

Minho was persistent in his following.

"Is it maybe because you're jacked and totally paranoid individual with extensive mental issues?" he wondered.

"I'm really not in the mood, Minho, shuck off."

The Keeper obviously didn't care one bit about her mood.

"Just so you know, the kid is like totally crying in the Pit right now," he informed her, his voice mock-serious. "You were right the whole time - _the real evil_ has arrived."

Moon didn't respond to that. So Minho was out too. Who cared?

She was the one with memories, it was all about her, so who's to say she couldn't do this on her own? She was the one who found the way out, after all.

"Where are you even going?" Minho asked, trying to catch her arm to stop her, but Moon dodged his hand.

"I'm not sleeping in the Homestead tonight."

At that moment, Minho stopped following her.

"Wait, so you're metaphorically taking the couch? That's some serious shit!"

 _Shuck them all._

Moon was just in the right mood to climb the wall, walked through the door in Section 8 and leave them all behind, but she was aware that was just the heat of the moment talking. This was a fight or flight situation for sure, and since she knew running away was almost impossible… it was going to be a fight.

Thomas was not going to get away with _anything_ , not even in his wildest dreams. No matter what would happen, Moon made a promise to herself that she would never trust that guy. No matter what… she would find out the truth.

* * *

 **Hey there!**

 **I hope you all having a great day, guys.**

 **I can't thank you enough for the reviews, I loved every single one of them!**

 **To answer the question about my updating schedule, as much as I would love for it to be regular, it isn't.**

 **On the top of all, I just got really busy lately with school, so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out.**

 **I will try my best to not take too long.**

 **Anyway, let me know what you think about this chapter and see you later! :)**


End file.
